Heroes Are Made
by smilingsamurai
Summary: In a world where everyone around him seemed to possess amazing powers, Jaune's own Ability had always seemed meager. Yet, perhaps that power holds potential beyond anything anyone could have imagined. Maybe the path to growing up starts with facing one's fears. And becoming a hero along the way, even if he didn't plan on it. [OP Jaune, alternate universe, harem, lemons]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Hello. Smilingsamurai here. Some of you may know me, and many of you don't. This is a new fic, set in an alternate universe. As you will discover, many things in this verse differ from canon. That's about all I'll say.**

**Without further ado, let's get this show on the road!**

**Chapter 1: Initiation**

Jaune looked around. The hall he was standing in was quite spacious. In fact, one might even go so far as to say it was massive. It was easily large enough to fit a few compact houses inside. The floor was made of marble, and was polished till he could see his own reflection on it. The pillars that stretched several metres upwards from the ground were made of metal, and went on to form an elegant framework, holding in place the glass ceiling. Most of the railings and fixtures on the benches were gold coloured. On the ground, in the centre of the space, was a logo in the shape of a molecule symbol that rested on a shield. Quite an appropriate way of proclaiming the purpose of this place, Jaune thought.

After all, this was the Beacon Institute. The prime academy for Empowereds in Vale. They needed a way to tell the world exactly what they were about. A symbol that said it loud and clear. So that particular logo fit the bill. And it was certainly well known and trusted.

Trust.

Well, that was an interesting word. Trust. Belief. Faith. Interesting words.

Jaune wondered what it might be like to experience these feelings from someone else. He decided to push the thought out of his head. For the moment, it was better to focus on the task at hand.

He walked up to a tall desk, behind which sat a bespectacled and serious looking woman. She looked up from her screen as he approached, regarding him with a neutral expression.

"Good morning. What can I do for you?"

"I'm here for the Test", he answered, choosing to be to-the-point.

Her expression grew even sharper, and she momentarily adjusted her glasses.

"Name and registration number, please?"

"Jaune Arc. 07"

Her eyes showed a glimmer of recognition, but she immediately managed to hide it. Jaune spotted it, however. He was used to that reaction whenever people heard his surname. It was why he generally chose to introduce himself by first name only whenever possible. For the moment, however, he remained silent as the woman typed away at the display in front of her.

She seemed to have found his name in the records she doubtless had in that terminal, because a moment later, she had printed out a card, which she proceeded to hand him. Jaune took it and turned it over in his hand. It was made of a synthetic polymer, and imprinted with pigments that formed a high resolution image of his face, along with his name, registration number, the location he was supposed to report to.

"Room 490", the woman said. "There is half an hour before the Test is scheduled to begin, so you can choose to refresh yourself if you want. I highly suggest being at the required location at least fifteen minutes in advance however."

Jaune nodded.

"Thanks," he said, pocketing the card as he walked away.

He walked over to a floor guide that was helpfully posted near the elevators.

Huh. The place was sort of like a mall with things like these lying around.

If a mall were built of military grade alloy and had ceilings made of reinforced glass that could survive a direct missile strike without a scratch. Just by sight, Jaune was able to recognize the composition of the glass that made up the aforementioned ceiling. As a matter of fact, touching the various walls and fixtures had confirmed his observational analysis. This entire place was a fortress disguised to look as approachable (or at least as sterile) as possible.

Impregnable. Emotionless. Unbreakable.

Fitting words for a facility like this, Jaune noted.

Ignoring these thoughts, he consulted the floor plan, and saw that Room 490 was located, obviously enough, on the fourth floor.

He walked towards a pair of elevator doors and pressed the call button, waiting for it to arrive.

As he was doing so, he heard footsteps approaching, and turned his head slightly to peer out of the corner of his eyes at whoever it was.

Two individuals were approaching.

One of them was blonde, and appeared to be almost the same height as himself. She was clad in a partially unzipped brown leather jacket, under which a yellow top was visible. Her skirt appeared to be made of leather as well, and she was wearing a pair of tights underneath it. Jaune noted that she was wearing boots and fingerless gloves, and also had aviators on. Indoors.

_Well, different strokes for different folks, I guess?_

It did not escape his notice that she was quite… _voluptuous._

The other girl was shorter and more slender of build, and seemed younger too. However, what the blonde had in mature charm, she made up for in sheer cuteness.

She was dark haired and was dressed in a style that Jaune had heard was called "goth". Black boots, leather bottoms with metal knee pads, a white top with a leather binding around her torso, most likely for protection, and a hood, currently resting on her back, leaving her face open to view. Her top was interesting it was full sleeved, but had strategic openings at the shoulders and elbows.

_Interesting._

The two came to stand next to Jaune, evidently also looking to use the elevator.

He shot them a glance, to which the smaller girl responded with an awkward smile. The larger of the two grinned provocatively.

"Like what you see, blondie?" she asked.

"Er… sure?"

He had no idea how he was supposed to respond to that. He wasn't really in the habit of conversing with strangers. However, it seemed she didn't really mean anything by it, as she giggled quietly and turned away. Evidently, she was just kidding around.

Jaune shrugged and looked away, just in time for the elevator to arrive and the doors to open. He entered, followed by the two of them, and hit the button indicating the fourth floor. He noticed that neither of the girls pressed any other buttons, meaning they must be going to same floor too.

Given their age and attire, Jaune figured they must be here for the same reason he was: the Test.

Within seconds, they arrived at their destination, and the doors slid open.

Jaune stepped out into the corridor, gathering the arrangement of the rooms from the way the numbers proceeded on the doors that were in front, and walked right, accordingly.

_488, 489… ah. Here we are._

Room 490's door was made of treated hardwood, same as all the others. But Jaune could detect metal reinforcements hidden in the walls. Probably a set of concealed doors that could slide down in case of an emergency, if they needed to prevent someone from getting in… or getting out.

_Totally normal._

He proceeded to push the door open and enter.

Inside, he found himself in a large facility that had various equipment placed around it. All of it, he noted, seemed to represent one or the other challenge, which was fitting, since this was where the Test would be held, after all.

This equipment was all arranged around the perimeter of the facility, which was circular. In the middle was a large indoor arena of sorts. It was a circle around twenty feet in diameter, lowered into the ground so that one had to descend into it by stairway. The walls of this arena were ten feet high, and around it was a seating area similar to the spectator stands of an actual sporting stadium. It was in these stands that he saw many more individuals who looked to be the same age as himself.

_Yep. This is definitely the place._

A uniformed guard gestured silently at him to take a seat with the rest of the candidates, and Jaune quietly walked towards the stands, examining the others as he did so.

There were a few groups, and these seemed to be the most talkative people in the room, though even they spoke only in whispers for the most part. From the way they dressed, and their body language, they seemed to Jaune like…

_Jocks? Ah well. World can't go round without 'em, I guess._

Particularly notable among these was a group composed of a guy with a buzzcut mohawk, a large brown haired youth who appeared to be dressed in a denim jacket, and two others so nondescript, Jaune forgot what they looked like almost as soon as he saw them.

However, not everyone present was in a group. He spotted several loners too.

A standoffish-looking girl dressed in a white top, purple leggings and black thigh-high boots. Her long black hair framed her face, and she wore a bow.

She appeared to be reading a book as she waited for the test to begin.

"Fifty Shades of Gray's Anatomy", the cover read.

_Fantastic, _Jaune deadpanned in his head.

Elsewhere in the stands sat a girl who looked about as ill-fitted to her clothes as anyone he'd seen.

And by that, he meant that her demeanour didn't seem to add up with her outfit.

Her clothes seemed like randomly picked out items at a discount store. An almost colourless top, a worn out flannel shirt, ripped jeans and a beanie.

Yet, her bearing seemed more like what Jaune had seen from the posh kids back in the neighbourhood where he'd lived at home.

Her eyes were rimmed with red and underlined by shadows.

She hadn't slept in a while.

_A runaway?_

Well, it wasn't unheard of for people to escape from wherever it was they lived, and do whatever it took to get far away from there.

Made sense that Beacon would see as many hopeful applicants as people trying to just stay alive and willing to try any means to do so.

Looking around, he spotted a pair of teens huddled close together.

Both of them were dressed like punks. Ripped jeans, sleeveless vests proclaiming the names of a popular band. One of them had black hair with a single lock dyed pink in front, whose eyes met Jaune's almost immediately. He seemed to be quite observant, and stared at the blond with a level, serious gaze.

The other one of the pair was a busty orange-head who seemed to have a bubbly personality, whispering animatedly to her companion and seemingly oblivious to anything and everything else.

And finally, sitting alone, on the opposite side of the stands, a lone redhead.

Even Jaune, as jaded as he was, couldn't help but stare at her.

She seemed quite grounded. Wearing a simple pair of sporting trousers and sneakers, along with a zipped up hoodie, she seemed somewhat like an athlete before a training session, a resemblance backed up by how toned her legs looked. She was also quite pretty, Jaune noted, almost unwillingly feeling a blush creep up his face, momentarily reminding him of his years spent as a horny teen with unrequited crushes.

The girl noticed Jaune staring, and turned to look at him, meeting his eyes.

Instead of glaring, however, Jaune was surprised when a small smile came over her face before she looked away.

She didn't wave or anything, and Jaune didn't even know why that possibility occurred to him: it wasn't as if the two of them even knew each other.

But that momentary smile had been warm, and Jaune felt his cheeks grow even hotter.

_Damn it,_ he admonished himself. _Snap out of it. I'm not in high school anymore!_

He took a deep breath and exhaled forcefully, bringing his thoughts back on track. Ignoring everyone else, he found an empty section of the stands and took a seat there.

There was still a little while to go before the Test was to begin, and Jaune decided to spend the time analysing the composition of the various materials around him.

He started from what he was sitting on. The stands were average industrial-grade concrete, as was the arena floor, and Jaune couldn't see any manner of padding anywhere.

_Well, at least I know a suplex down there is going to hurt whoever takes it. _

He did note, however, that there were barely noticeable grooves along the floor, which suggested the presence of hidden panels that would either slide or fold open due to hidden hydraulics. There was no way for him to confirm this without getting closer, however.

Pushing the thought out of his mind, he examined the other candidates now.

He wasn't close enough to any of them to analyse them by anything other than sight, but most of them appeared to be made of organic tissue on their visible parts, without any more _exotic_ variations.

Judging by their physiques and body language, he drew at least some conclusion on their abilities and methodology. It was far from a complete picture, but it was at least some information to go on if he was forced to go up against them, which, considering the fact that this was an arena, he likely would.

He had already noted what pieces of gym and physical testing equipment were scattered around the facility, so he knew what the test would likely entail in addition to one-on-one fights.

There was nothing more he could glean from sight at the moment, so he decided to lean his head back, close his eyes and relax for a while.

He had come this far.

It was pointless to be nervous.

He would give it his best, and take whatever results came.

Pyrrha Nikos looked around the facility where she sat. She had arrived quite a while back (it was her habit to always be there at least an hour in advance), and had watched the other candidates slowly trickle in. There weren't a lot of people here, but that was to be expected.

Beacon had an _extremely_ stringent pre-screening procedure, so very few people even qualified for the Test to begin with.

Also, it was a risky job.

Not everyone liked putting their life on the line to protect the fate of humanity, and all that.

She was a solid A student, earning top honours in all subjects. She had the smarts, she could easily have qualified for a research position somewhere, or more comfortable still, a cushy desk job.

Safe, behind the walls, whiling away her life until she died of old age… or until the walls were finally broken.

Still, she had chosen to come here.

_Well,_ she thought. _Guess we'll find out how it goes._

In all honesty, she didn't see much chance of failing the Test. Not with her Ability. Although it was still a possibility. She had seen some _very_ unlikely things happen in her life, and knew very well that one could never predict what might happen in any situation with one hundred percent certainty.

As she waited, she couldn't help but want to talk to people.

She had always been a loner. Not by choice, mind you.

She had just ended up being one, isolated.

She knew all too well, that being bad at things wasn't the only way for you to be ostracized.

No, it was just as possible to be alienated for being _too _good at things.

And so it had been for her.

Of course, here in this room, no one knew her. They had no reason not to approach her.

But they had no reason to do so either.

And so she sat, the mask of a bright expression on her face masking her true thoughts.

Until she saw him.

The blond boy was taller than most, standing around the same height as herself. She noted he appeared to be in good shape: the sleeves of his t shirt were filled out by his arms, and a toned chest and wide shoulders were clearly visible. He was good looking by conventional standards too: strong jawline and sharp features, and that beach boy haircut.

In a way, he sort of reminded her of the surfer dudes she had seen around her hometown.

Except he wasn't.

The way he carried himself was different. Not tense, but vigilant. His eyes always casually observing everything around himself. Somewhat similar to an apex predator prowling around in the wild, always aware of its surroundings, of other apex predators that might challenge it.

He carried himself like a man who had seen action. Like a fighter. And his eyes had a certain weight in them, a depth that only came with experience.

A depth Pyrrha saw when she looked in the mirror.

_Well, at least there are some interesting folk here._

That would have been the end of that. She would normally have noted him as an interesting individual out of this crowd, and left it at that, except for one thing.

Their eyes had met. And in that moment, she realized that he had not been intimidated by her.

The logical part of her pointed out that he didn't even know her, so there was no reason for him to be intimidated yet.

But still, he had seen her, and blushed like a schoolboy.

Like any boy might if he saw a pretty girl.

That reaction was something she hadn't got in ages.

Just for a moment, he had reminded her of a time when she wasn't the one who had to stand out in a crowd.

_Maybe he'd be worth getting to know. At least… if we both make it in._

She decided to give him a small smile, inwardly giggling at how his reaction was for his cheeks to heat up even more as he shuffled away to sit by himself.

_Cool guy, huh?_

She shook her head and went back to observing the rest of her surroundings.

It was several more minutes before the door finally opened once more. Not the one she had entered through, but the other one. A sliding metal door diametrically opposite to the other.

Several people entered, their boots clacking on the ground as they made their way to the arena, and then down to its floor.

Notable among them was a tall, silver-haired man. He was clad in a black two piece suit and green tie, and wore purple round-rimmed shades. He carried a staff too.

Immediately, Pyrrha noted that this man exuded power, though he did not flaunt it.

Somehow, it was clear right away that this man must be in charge here at Beacon.

When he stood on the arena floor, he looked around at all the candidates in silence for a moment before speaking.

"You are all aware why you are here."__

Pyrrha knew indeed.

"The terrors that lie in wait outside the Walls."

_A vision of blank eyes. Staring, emotionless. Blood dripping from seemingly thin air. Thin air that had perforated bodies like pincushions._

"But we are not here to mince words. And perhaps some of you are not fully cognizant of the step that you are about to take. So I will say it here and now."

The silver haired man's voice grew louder, more forceful, carrying the authority not of the principal of a school, but the head of a facility that created weapons.

"_**Humanity is in the middle of a war. A war, which, make no mistake, we are losing. The reason for this is known to you: evolution."**_****

_Evolution. The genetic truth._

"_**Around a generation ago, the world experienced a change. The reason for this change, the catalyst, is unknown. But the result is something we are all aware of. Several species on this planet experienced massively accelerated evolution. A drastic genetic change that completely altered their very cellular structure, altering their very nature."**_

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"_**Some of you might have parents who experienced this change firsthand. Humans developed, overnight, powers that they could not have previously dreamed of. Powers that made some believe they were gods. But such delusions were not given time to flourish." **_****

His eyes sharpened.

"_**We weren't the only ones who experienced this change. Other species did, too. And several of these took on forms… that no longer bore any resemblance to what they once were. It would be a lie to call them animals any longer."**_****

Pyrrha felt an involuntary shudder run through her as the memories flashed in her head again.

"_**We call them… the Mutates. They are the creatures in the dark, the horrors in the sun. They are myth made reality. They are the hunters of humankind, the ones that prey on our flesh. Genetic nightmares. We have emptied entire clips on them, only for them to spit out the bullets. We have dismembered them, only for them to grow bladed appendages and cut us down. We have attempted military warfare, only to realize they are equipped with natural firepower more deadly than anything we had yet developed. Make no mistake: Mutates are the apex predators of the planet. Human beings **_**cannot** _**defeat them."**_

His eyes hardened even further. They were now those of a soldier, a general.

"_**But you are none of you humans. You are the second generation, born of parents who had been affected by the great change. And as the next step in evolution, you possess powers even your parents could not dream of. Make no mistake: many humans never experienced the original mutation. Much less are there second generation beings such as yourselves. It is as if you are the chosen few. The few humans, who have been given the power to fight back against the monsters that threaten our very existence. You are… the Empowered."**_

Yes. This was Pyrrha's nature. She had been like this, from the moment she was born. Both her parents had possessed Abilities too, but neither of them had been particularly strong. In fact, her power didn't even appear to be related in any way to theirs, making her wonder how exactly the genetics of this worked.

Regardless, the fact remained. She had power, where most people did not.

And that, in her mind, was a good enough reason for her to fight, for those who could not.

She reaffirmed her conviction, and returned her focus to the silver-haired man.

"_**You have each of you signed a contract. A contract that states, that should you be accepted into Beacon, you will enter the Eliminator Program. At the end of this, you will emerge as humanity's warriors against the Mutates, the heroes who will guide us to the next age.**_

_**This is your last chance to back out. The doors will now open. Should you choose to leave, you will be given the only copy of the signed contract, which you are free to destroy and render void and null. Should you remain in this room when the doors close, you will be subject to the Test. At that point, you will already be past the point of no return. So make your final choice, and make it now."**_****

True to his words, the hardwood doors did open.

A tense silence followed. Pyrrha could heard some shuffling. Evidently, some people were having second thoughts. But ultimately, five minutes passed and the doors closed. No one had left the room.

This was it. For better or worse, there was no turning back.

"Very well," said Ozpin. "You've made your choice. Let the Test begin."

The Test was purely practical, and broken up into two segments. The first was a physical ability test. This involved using one's Ability to give one's best possible performance in the various tasks one was given.

There was a hard cutoff point. Candidates who performed below that would be disqualified, and their contracts voided as they were ejected from Beacon.

Candidates who cleared the minimum requirements would move on to the second part of the test.

_One on one battles. Each candidate would fight in one match, which would go on till submission or incapacitation. Only the winners would move on to finally be accepted into the Ghost Program._

======================================================================

Ozpin looked through the list of the candidates. There was no possible way to know what any of them were capable of, since there was no data on their powers, or on them.

Well, most of them anyway.

There were a few exceptions.

"Miss Xiao Long and Miss Rose both came," he said.

The woman next to him,Glynda Goodwitch, shook her head disapprovingly.

"Qrow will hate you for this," she said.

"He has hated me for a long time," Ozpin answered.

He looked through other names.

"It appears Pyrrha Nikos is here," he muttered.

The redhead's name was quite well known in the academic community, and to the public to a degree, since she had appeared in one or two commercials for popular brands. Ozpin had heard she had been a teen model.

But that was neither here nor there.

She was either strong enough to make it in, or she wasn't. Her fame didn't matter.

Which led to the final familiar name on the list.

"Jaune… Arc."

The Arcs were quite well known to Ozpin. Both Arc parents were notable among the first generation of human mutants, and had been instrumental in the battles to hold back the Mutates long enough to build the Walls and herd humanity inside them.

They were both retired veterans now. Ozpin knew for a fact that each of their children was a notable Empowered, and all of them were at one of the other Institutes across the four Settlements.

Except Jaune.

From what Ozpin had heard, the youngest child of the Arcs had been born without the evolved gene, the Stigma.

He realized now how foolish an assumption that had been. In the first place, human research had not successfully pinpointed the genes that gave the Empowered their abilities in the first place. Meaning, there was no way to test a body to find out if it had powers or not.

The only way to know if someone had an Ability, was to see them use it.

Jaune was rumoured to not have ever used any Ability.

Whether those rumours were true or not, the Test was about to reveal.

Ozpin sincerely hoped the boy had not been foolish enough to apply if they were true.

"Well, our fates rest on this generation. Let's hope they have strong shoulders."

He proceeded to the observation deck.

Physical Ability Test.

Task 1: Pressing strength. This was relatively straightforward. There was a barbell placed on the ground, and weight plates. The task was to load up the bar to whatever amount the candidate believed they could handle, and then lift it up from the ground to above their heads by whatever means they wanted. Needless to say, no assisting equipment was allowed.

One by one, the applicants came forth. It was clear that many of them had never set foot inside a gym in their life, and had no idea how to do a deadlift or safely get the bar to even shoulder level. Yet, they tried the best they could, each managing to get various amounts of weight above their heads.

Of course, not every applicant even needed to use conventional lifting methods.

The dark-haired girl who had been reading the adult novel proved to have a body that was semi-fluid, able to change shape and volume.

Disturbingly, she flattened herself till she was under the bar completely, even it was resting on the ground, and then allowed herself to return to her normal height, the recoil force from the transformation pushing the weight up. She only held the weight for a second at full height, but that was enough for it to count.

_Blake Belladonna: 2000 kg.  
__**Ability: Shapeshifting  
**__  
_There was a Faunus with rabbit ears who summoned five spectral clones of herself to help out, together managing to get the bar up and even hold it for a few seconds.

_Velvet Scarlatina: 600 kg.  
__**Ability: Solid Light Constructs**___

Of course, there were a few who only did well by human standards.

The short-haired goth girl managed to overhead press 60 kg, although she did it with proper form, showing that she had indeed trained, and that her Ability likely had nothing to do with lifting strength.

_Ruby Rose: 60 kg._

And there were a few who managed to completely blow away the competition.

The brown-haired jock from earlier casually loaded 3000 kg, over 3 actual tons, on the bar, and gripped it one handed with his palm under the bar.

Without needing to use his muscles at all, he simply used his Ability, an explosive blast from his palm that launched the bar almost all the way to the ceiling.

_Cardin Winchester: 3000 kg.  
__**Ability: Explosion Creation**___

He looked obscenely pleased with himself when he was done.__

The blonde girl with the aviators stepped up, and did not remove any of the weight Cardin had added, causing the boy to scoff. Instead, she casually doubled it, causing him to now stare at her in disbelief.

"Hey, can I use equipment as long as I don't directly use it for the lift?" the girl called out.

One of the examiners gave permission, and the blonde proceeded to whip out a can of what Ozpin recognized as Bullhead fuel, and proceeded to _drink _it.

Almost immediately, her body started to glow with a burning aura. Grinning, she gripped the bar one handed, and hoisted it clean off the ground to above her head, holding it there for a few seconds just to drive the point home.

_Yang Xiao Long: 6000 kg._  
_**Ability: Energy Absorption/Power Boosting**_

Up next was the black haired youth with the pink fringe on their hair. Ozpin noticed that he patted Yang on the shoulder as he walked past her. There had to be a meaning to that gesture.

The look on the blonde's face was priceless as the punk proceeded to lift the same amount of weight, and with one hand just like her.

_Lie Ren: 6000 kg.  
__**Ability: Temporary Ability Steal**_

After him came his partner, the upbeat girl with the orange hair.

She proved to be yet another who used equipment prior to the lift. And that equipment happened to be an industrial grade live portable power generator… from which she removed the insulation before touching it.

Visible sparks of electricity crackled violently, but she appeared unharmed.

Walking over to the bar, she proceeded to one-up both Ren and Yang by doubling the weight to over 12 tons.

_Nora Valkyrie: 12000 kg  
__**Ability: Power Boosting through Electrical Absorption**_

That led to Pyrrha Nikos' turn.

The redhead came up to the bar, and surprised everyone by loading up every last one of the available plates.

Even Yang had an eyebrow raised in mild disbelief.

Pyrrha raised her arm, and at her command, the bar rose up in the air, without her needing to even touch it.

_Pyrrha Nikos: 24000 kg.  
__**Ability: Supermagnetism.**_

And that… left only one candidate to go.

======================================================================

Jaune approached the bar, ignoring the focus of everyone else in the room.

From this close, his Ability came into effect, and he recognized the composition of the weights, identifying them as a dense specially made alloy.

Honestly, this was disappointing. He'd been expecting something a bit more challenging from the infamous Beacon Initiation Test. But it was too early to draw conclusions. This was a competition, after all, so it didn't matter how basic the task was, only that you did better at it than everyone else.

Jaune was observant enough to note that literally every applicant with a powerful Ability had not used anywhere close to even half of their full power, because there was no point to going all out and exhausting oneself, or to revealing one's limits when one didn't need to.

And Jaune was smart enough to realize that the design of the test in this manner was deliberate, so that Beacon could see which candidates wasted time and energy flexing, and which candidates didn't.

_I only need to do better than most of them. Let's see… 2 tons should be enough. _

That was already better than 70 percent of the others.

Jaune loaded up the weight, and proceeded to first deadlift it, then jerk it to his shoulders, and finally overhead press it with proper form, holding it there for a few seconds before lowering it to the ground.

He could have, in all honesty, done the lift one handed with none of this required, but there was no need for anyone else to know that yet.

The only one he could think of who had really displayed something incredible was Pyrrha Nikos, and that had been because, given her specific Ability, 24 tons of metallic alloy _was_ her holding back and using only a little. That, and he had a suspicion she was cleverly using the magnitude of her power to mask something else.

Jaune's lift was recorded as well, though he noted with pleasure that the examiners had not correctly identified his Ability.

_Jaune Arc: 2000 kg.  
__**Ability: Super Strength**_

While it was certainly true that Jaune had strength far surpassing ordinary humans, this was not his Ability. Rather, it was a _result _of his Ability.

An Ability that wasn't simple enough that one could recognize it easily, even though Jaune was using it almost constantly.

An Ability that his parents and siblings hadn't been able to recognize or realize he had, causing them to dismiss him as an ordinary human.

And Ability that he himself had discovered through accident. After the initial euphoria that had come with that discovery, he'd played around with it, and was quickly disappointed, because in comparison to the amazing powers of the rest of his family, it had seemed so… average.

But that was until he experimented with it, and found out there was _so_ much more to it than met the eye.

Jaune's true ability was telekinesis. It had appeared disappointing at first because the amount of mass he could move at once was very limited, capping out at 30 kg. It had a limited range too, only upto a radius of three feet from his body.

No way was that going to be viable in a fight, he had thought desperately.

But over time, he discovered some facts.

Fact 1: Within that 30 kg limit, Jaune could move _anything_. It wasn't about how big he could go, it was about how _small_ he could go. In other words, it wasn't the magnitude of this power that made it potent. It was the _precision._

Jaune was able to move individual molecules. Able to perceive them through a special telekinetic sensory field that came with his Ability, and thus manipulate them. In fact, he could even go so far as to manipulate individual atoms.

This of course, led to Fact 2: Within that 30 kg limit of mass, things like molecular forces did not matter. For whatever reason, he was able to bypass the strength of those forces, and arrange the building blocks of matter as he saw fit.

Fact 1 and Fact 2 led to Fact 3: Jaune decided to study science. A lot of it.

Enough of it, that he tried something crazy.

Slowly, over the course of a decade, he manipulated matter, _in order to rebuild his entire body._

Everything was modified. Bone toughness and density. Composition, mass and strength of muscle fibres. Accuracy and range of sensory organs. Efficacy and hardiness of vital organs.

Jaune was a one hundred percent, self-built superhuman.

It was a process that could have killed him if he made a single mistake. Worse, it could have left him a vegetable.

But he had pulled off the one in trillion miracle, through sheer courage, ingenuity and luck.

In a world where the ones surrounding him had incredible powers, a world where incredible powers would be needed to survive; a world where the ones he respected and loved told him he could never fight…

_**He had changed himself, and come for a fight.**_

**  
**And that fight was now. He was going to crush this Test, and join the battle for humanity's survival.

Not because he cared so much about people.

That had been a long time ago. No, it was because the world had told him he could never fight.

And his reaction to that, was to prove to himself that he could.

Jaune Arc was not a hero, and would never be.

But no one in that Test room was.

Humanity didn't need heroes.

It needed warriors.

And Jaune fully intended to become one.

The rest of the tests passed in similar fashion.

50 metre sprint.  
Standing long jump.  
Projectile dodge test.  
Punch power test.  
Crunches, pushups and squats for endurance test.

In all of these, different aspects of the candidates' power was revealed, and always, Jaune used just enough of his abilities that he would be in the upper half, but never enough to stand out.

When the first part ended, Jaune was above the cutoff point, and had qualified for the one on one combat test.

While he was confident that no one, not even the Beacon staff, would have been able to figure out the true nature of his power yet, since he had not directly used it a single time during the Test, he was not so naive as to believe that he had gone completely unnoticed. Even if he had deliberately chosen to not get the best result any single test, he was one of the few candidates who had consistently done well in _all_ the tests, while most were only able to ace one or two of them at most.

In the end, would it even matter? During his fight, they were sure to get an idea of what he was capable of. Still, he would try to keep it as efficient as possible, and avoid unnecessary attention.

Yes, that was best.

There was no point to unnecessary attention.

He wasn't here to make friends. He was here to fight, to prove to himself that he wasn't powerless. That everything he had built up, could take on the world, and win.

Thus, as the other candidates went through their fights one by one, Jaune observed them all. When possible, he got close to them. Although it wasn't always possible to be within three feet of them to scan them all using his Ability, he was able to get at least a few scans, and a lot of observational information.

He had a fair idea of who was going to win each of the encounters, and his picks all turned out to be correct.

Finally, his own turn came.

His opponent, perhaps fittingly, perhaps ironically, was Cardin Winchester.

The two of them stood ten feet apart in the arena at the centre of the room.

Between the two of them, Cardin appeared slightly bigger, although only by a smaller amount.

The cocky youth grinned at him.

"Heh. I was watching you during the first round. Gotta say, kid, it's a damn shame. It's not like you're weak. It's just… you're so fucking average."

Jaune heard his words, but didn't allow them to register. He had learned long ago to tune out anything that came out of an enemy's mouth during a fight. Sure, some would argue that it was possible to goad an opponent through conversation, or gain some insight into their way of thinking.

In reality, though? Most fights ended quick, and being focused on the action made the difference between winning and losing.

And Jaune did not depend on conversation to learn about the opponent. He had his own, more reliable ways.

Nevertheless, he could not say he disliked Cardin particularly. The boy was rude and annoying, but not worth enough to get annoyed over.

He was like many others Jaune had met over the years: vaguely along the lines of a bothersome pest. Normally, opening the window and letting him out would be enough.

But on this occasion, the pest would be actively trying to harm him.

That left him only one option.

"_Begin," _ said Ozpin.

Right away, without warning, Cardin threw an explosive burst at Jaune, which detonated as soon as it seemed to touch him, covering the arena in smoke.

"_Cough, cough."_ Yang tried to get the dust out of her throat. "Did he get him? That's a shame. Blondie was kinda good look-"

The smoke was blown away by a sudden movement.

A movement so fast, so forceful, the smoke was blasted away by their air pressure, leaving the arena in plain sight.

Most of the other competitors had their jaws hanging open now, as Jaune, unharmed, was holding Cardin up in the air, one-handed, an iron grip wrapped around his skull. It was clear that the explosion _had_ connected, since Jaune's t-shirt was blown away, revealing a well-sculpted, muscular body. But there was not a single scratch or burn on it.

"Sorry," said the blond. The earlier apathy was gone from his eyes, and it seemed to everyone watching that his demeanour had changed from the guy who had been satisfied with being just good enough in the first round.

His blue eyes were drilling a hole into Cardin with his glare, a determined glare that had no anger in it.

"Sorry. You can't win. You should give up here."

Without further ado, Jaune used his other hand punch Cardin, almost gently, in the chin. A blow there rattles the skull, and with Jaune's strength, that meant an instant knockout. Cradling Cardin's unconscious body, he laid it lightly on the ground, before turning to the silver haired man for confirmation.

"Number 07 wins. And with that, we reach the end of the Test. Those who have qualified, remain behind. The rest of you, get treated at the Medical Wing, then leave and return to civilian life."

Jaune walked out of the arena.

Although his face remained impassive, inside, he felt a thrill of joy, of excitement.

It was ridiculous to think of for someone who would be risking his life in dangerous battles to celebrate having scored the gig.

Yet, Jaune was doing so now.

It was the first step, in his journey as an Eliminator.

Of course, he was not aware that he had won the attentions of several of his new fellow recruits too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hello, everyone. First off, thanks for the amazing response. I can't put into words how happy I am that people are enjoying this.**

**I'll take this chance to answer a few questions as best as I can, without spoiling anything.**

**1\. Aside from Yang, Pyrrha and Nora, are there going to be other girls who will get with Jaune? Answer is yes! The only reason I did not tag the others were because I had already reached the 4 character tag limit. So if you're a fan of say, Blake, or Ruby, you should definitely continue reading this fic!**

**2\. What about Weiss? Weiss is indeed in the story, and is even mentioned in chapter 1, though her name is not stated.**

**3\. Can Jaune affect other organisms directly through his powers? Why did he hide the extent of his abilities during the Test? Answer: Regarding the first question, I don't want to spoil what Jaune can or can't do just yet. Keep reading to find out. I think many of the readers already know or have a really good idea of what he can do, and I saw some very interesting comments about that in the review section. Regarding the second: Jaune has his own agenda in this story. As you will see, he is very guarded, and does not trust Beacon. His purpose is not to serve Beacon, but to use Beacon to serve his own ends. That's not to say he's evil! He's a good guy. Just not a hero… yet, anyway. **

**4\. There aren't any Grimm, are there? Short answer is no. The monsters here are called Mutates, and they are a LOT more powerful, versatile, deadly and intelligent than the Grimm. As for what exactly they can do… well, the first encounter with them is going to be in chapter 3, so look forward to that!**

**Interesting note: the cover art is drawn by yours truly, and depicts Jaune (done in my style). If you want to see more of my work, you are welcome to visit hellbringer7 on DeviantArt. Also, lemme know which characters you want to see on the cover next!**

**In any case, this chapter sort of establishes the initial interactions among our cast. There's not a lot of action, but bear with me. Chapter 3 will have more of that, and it will be out soon.**

**Edit: Thanks to early reviewers for pointing out the typo with Neptune's name. The blue haired boy who appears is indeed Neptune, and Mercury will most likely make his debut further down the line.**

**With all that out of the way, let's get this show on the road!**

**Chapter 2: First Impressions**

There's a curious feeling one gets when one has passed the point of no return. There's no more fear or trepidation. Only determination, and a curiosity to see how things will turn out. That was how Jaune felt now, as he sat in one of the many, many facilities housed within the massive Beacon Institute. The particular room he was in now wasn't some kind of cutting edge training area though. It was a time-honoured location known as… a waiting room. While Beacon knew how to look imposing and even somewhat pleasing if it wanted to, a waiting room is a waiting room. And in this case, it meant plain walls with nothing to adorn them all, and a whole lot of chairs.

Compounds used: reinforced synthetic polymer for the walls, armoured glass for the windows, low grade steel for the fixtures, and cheap plastic for the chairs.

As usual, Jaune was analysing the makeup of everything in his vicinity, and it was with a mixture of trepidation and amusement that he noted even the mighty Beacon had budget constraints.

Getting up, he made his way to one of the windows. It was already dark outside. The Test had taken the entire morning to complete, and most of the afternoon was spent completing the final stages of the registration process. After that, they had been advised to have lunch. On the plus side, the food was excellent. It appeared the ones in charge believed that "humanity's heroes" should get adequate nutrition, packaged in a tasty form.

Jaune hoped this wasn't a one-time thing. He had a momentary vision of his everyday meals at this place being some kind of indefinable, tasteless mash.

_Well, I haven't exactly been eating gourmet food all this time. Still, that'd be an all new low, even for me. _

He'd just have to deal with it when he did.

He spent a little more time gazing at the night sky outside, before turning away.

Once more, he found himself looking at the other candidates who had won their fights in the second round of the Test, and who were in this room with him at the moment. Not everyone had arrived yet: some were taking their time in the dining hall, or filling in their paperwork. There might even be a few who were roaming around on the grounds, enjoying their last taste of civilian life.

But several people were indeed already here.

Among them was the beautiful redhead Jaune had noticed before the Test. She stood near a window, staring out into the distance, apparently lot in thought.

A little distance away was the rabbit Faunus who had the ability to create solid light constructs. Jaune had to admit, that was an incredible power. Despite this, however, she seemed rather demure and introverted, her body language suggesting she was rather timid. She sat with her shoulders hunched up, her knees drawn up under her chin as her feet rested on her chair.

She wasn't alone, though. Next to her was a girl with short brown hair, who was dressed somewhat flamboyantly considering where they were. She wore a short top and jacket, along with a skirt and thigh high boots. Perhaps the most striking part of her outfit was a beret.

Jaune couldn't recall seeing her during the Test: he would have noted someone like her immediately, and observed her Ability. She must have been tested in one of the other rooms in the Institute.

Apparently, she was familiar with the Faunus girl, though there could not have been more of a contrast in their personalities. However, the timid one did not seem to mind her energetic conversation. It was clear there was some kind of friendship between them.

Elsewhere, there was another somewhat similar pair: the quiet, stoic, black-haired youth, and the bubbly girl who had revealed herself to be a living lightning absorber.

And of course, there was the curvy, extroverted blonde, still wearing her aviators indoors, engaged in conversation with the goth girl.

The silver-haired girl dressed in hobo outfit was off by herself, looking as tired as ever, and generally unhappy with the situation.

_Beacon really was a last resort for her, huh? _

The black haired girl with the bow on her head was calmly sitting in a corner, engrossed in the same erotic novel she had been reading before the Test.

_Fifty Shades of Gray's Anatomy? Really? Nana to Kaoru is objectively better,_ Jaune noted mentally.

As his eyes wandered, they lit upon several people he had not seen earlier.

There was a _very_ unusual looking girl whose very outline seemed to shimmer even as Jaune looked at her. Almost as soon as his gaze reached her, she seemed to realize, and turned to lock eyes with him.

_Perceptive._

Her hair was brown and pink, and her eyes were heterochromatic: one pink, the other brown, colours that seemed to be a recurring theme with her.

Those eyes seemed to glow slightly, and Jaune noticed that their pupils were slitted, like a feline.

A smile curled her lips upwards as she stared at the blond, and Jaune found himself looking away, slightly uncomfortable. Something about her was predatory, and of all the candidates he had met so far, she seemed to be the one who set off the most alarm bells in his head.

Right next to her was a boy with reddish hair who was dressed in a button down shirt, black trousers and a white jacket, and wore a hat. He was playing with a one lien coin, flipping it between his fingers without looking at it, as he idly spoke to the strange heterochromatic girl.

_Well, there had to be at least one chad here._

There were two other guys too, and both of them looked to be the same age as Jaune.

One of them was a muscular blond who wore his shirt with all the buttons open, probably for the express purpose of showcasing his flawless abs. Despite this move, which might have come off as douchebaggish, he seemed open and friendly, and his body language seemed to have none of the markers that suggested arrogance.

His friend was a blue haired boy wearing a rather neatly buttoned up jacket, as if to directly contrast his companion. He was wearing underwater goggles for some reason, though they were up on his forehead at the moment. While quite subtle, Jaune noted that this was a boy who cared about the impression he created, and many of his movements, and even to an extent his speech seemed to be determined by that consideration.

He did realize that in this place, he wasn't going to score a date, right? They'd all be too busy training, studying, and going outside the Walls to fight nightmare creatures.

Heh. It was ridiculous to even think of, but Jaune's life had been quite… _bizarre_ for a while now, and the idea of willingly choose to fight against monstrosities whose powers seemed to vary widely and range from extremely dangerous, to something straight out of hell.

He raised his hand up, looking at its palm.

It had no blisters on it, no calluses.

Once upon a time, they had been there. Scars, records of his pain and effort.

Now they weren't.

As his transformation had progressed, he had removed many weaknesses of the human body.

Every scar and injury he had had was healed.

No, it would be more accurate to say they were _erased_, the scar tissue removed completely, down to the last molecule, replaced by his new flesh.

As he was now, the base of the old Jaune was still there.

Or was it?

When every last cell in his body was modified to the point where it no longer bore any similarity to the organism he'd once been…

Was the Jaune Arc that existed now even the same Jaune Arc that had began that journey, ten years ago?

He clenched his fist tightly, brutally snuffing out such thoughts.

_Pointless fucking shit._

_I am me. And I _

will _fight. Monsters, demons, Mutates, whatever the hell you are… I'll take you on… and I'll crush you._

The sound of the doors sliding open got his attention, and he turned to see a man in the Beacon administrative uniform standing at the entrance.

"You have all of you completed your registration procedure. And you have all passed the Test. It is done: from here on, you are all Recruits. Welcome to the Eliminator program. Welcome… to Beacon. You will now be taken to your living quarters. Follow me."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away, and there was a general noise of much shuffling and scraping as people hurried to pick up what luggage they had, and hurry after him so that they wouldn't be left behind.

Jaune slung his own bag over his shoulder, and walked away.

For some reason, he glanced back at his fellow Recruits once.

Just for a moment.

Would this really be their last moment of peace?

He shook his head, pushing out that thought, and going after the uniformed man.

The Recruits were led deeper inside Beacon, and as they proceeded, the corridors and surroundings changed. Compositionally, most of the materials used here were far more durable, tougher, designed to withstand extreme stress. From the looks of it, they had moved from whatever little part of Beacon might be visible to the ordinary public… to the parts of it that only its personnel would see.

They were no longer in the Beacon that the world knew.

This was Beacon, the military base and research centre.

They were led into a large elevator that could have easily fit an armoured vehicle or two inside, which proceeded to take them downwards.

_Our living quarters are located underground?_

By Jaune's estimation, they must be at least one hundred metres below the surface of the planet, when the elevator finally stopped.

The massive alloy doors slid open.

"This way," said their guide, and the Recruits followed after him.

They were led down a corridor whose walls and ceilings were a uniform, almost pristine white. Jaune had the feeling this entire location was sterile. A cursory examination with his telekinetic sensory field confirmed that that there amount of biological contaminants that could be found everywhere, was indeed quite low here.

_Gotta keep us clean, huh?_

Something about this place didn't sit right with Jaune, and he remained alert as he walked.

They passed several doors, all of which were solid slabs, without any panes through which one could look.

The primary material out of which everything here was built seemed to be some kind of custom synthetic compound. It appeared to have the toughness and durability of metal, but was not metallic at all.

Jaune was tempted to make a joke about living in a literal plastic world, but this material was not plastic either.

He was able to confirm that it was a safe environment to live in, however, not able to detect any properties in the material that might make it automatically harmful.

He still didn't let his guard down.

They finally stopped when they reached the very end of the corridor.

There was a single door, on which was imprinted a large symbol of a sword.

"This is where you will all be staying."

The door slid open upwards, and they filed through it, finding themselves in a vast area. It was the size of an average dining hall. The walls were lined with bunk beds, but they were not arranged one above the other. Since there was so much space, each bunk bed had a section of the wall to itself, and along with it, a space that seemed to be meant for the person who used it. This space contained a desk which functioned as a cupboard and bookshelf.

The centre of the room had a large mat, probably meant for sparring. Arranged around it were several different kinds of training equipment. Barbells, weight plates, dumbbells, pull up and dip bars, heavy bags, humanoid dummies. There were even practice weapons that represented swords, shields, spears, hammers and other melee instruments of battle.

There was a computer terminal at also present just outside the mat, and next to it, a large, closed compartment, which might contain anything at all. Jaune couldn't tell from this far away, since it wasn't within his telekinetic sensory field.

All in all, this place seemed to have it all. Provisions for physical and combat training, rest, and even study.

In one wall was a door marked with the word "Bathing". Obviously, the function of what lay beyond that door was not a mystery.

However, given what had been seen so far, there were questions on everyone's minds.

"Wait, all the beds are here. Are you trying to say that _all of us_ are going to be living here? In this place?" asked the flamboyant blonde, whose name, Jaune recalled, was Yang.

"That is correct," said the administrator who had guided them.

"That's ridiculous," cut in a voice Jaune hadn't heard before.

He turned to its owner, the silver haired hobo girl. For the first time apart from during the Test, she seemed somewhat alive. It had taken anger to force away her tiredness.

"You expect _all _of us, to live in one lousy living quarter? What is this? Communal housing? Do you have any idea how unhygienic that is?"

"This facility is as close to sterile as we can make it while still making it biologically inhabitable, Miss Schnee," replied the administrator smoothly. He did not seem the least bit bothered by her furious expression, or her questions. "Whether you are able to _keep_ yourself, and this place clean, depends on you. Here at Beacon, we believe in taking care of oneself."

"Absurd," said the girl identified as Miss Schnee. Jaune recalled her first name to be Weiss. "At least tell me there are separate bathing facilities for men and women?"  
The administrator's face remained smoothly unreadable.

"There is a bathing facility, and it is to be used by the men, the women, and everyone else."

There were murmurs of protests at this, and several people began voicing their complaints about the living arrangements.

The voice of the uniformed man cut through all these protests. Though he never raised his voice, people felt obliged to listen, since after all, he represented the Institute, and at the end of the day, everyone knew they had already signed up. There was no backing away now.

"There is nothing inhumane about the facilities you have been given. Everything in this sector is up to the highest standards in terms of quality and comfort. We at Beacon never compromise on giving Eliminators every possible advantage we can when they are at Home Base. If you are still unsatisfied, the problem lies not with the facilities, but with _you._"

He paused briefly, looking around. There was pin-drop silence, and he proceeded.

"There is a reason you have shared living quarters which also function as your private training area and study. A reason why you will all be living together. You are, all of you, about to embark on missions more dangerous than anything you can imagine. As second generation mutants, some of you have never ventured beyond the Walls, and none of you have no idea about what lies outside our settlements. You may have seen glimpses of the monstrosities that live in the Wilds… but you have no idea of their power. You will face nightmares unlike anything you can conceive of. They are the scourge of humanity, natural predators who are capable of wiping our entire species off the planet. We are fighting to avoid extinction, fighting for our survival. And the ones on the frontlines are _you._

Out there, being able to trust each other completely, will be the difference between life and death. If you cannot even coexist here, in a safe environment, do you really believe you can work together effectively on the battlefield?"

There was no reply. None.

He continued.

"Get to know each other. Who you are. What you are. Learn about each other. Accept each other. Get used to each other. You are all now brothers and sisters in arms. Whatever delusions you had of this being some kind of mercenary operation, forget it. You are all one. You live as one… or _you all die alone._"

Seeing that no one was voicing any objections any more, the man turned to leave.

"Your training will commence at 0700 hours tomorrow. An administrator will be here to guide you to the right location. You are to be prepared and waiting by 0640 hours. My advice is to get some sleep and regain energy. You will need it."

With that, he left.

The door slid close behind him, leaving the Recruits, all together in that single living quarter.

A moment of silence followed.

A tense silence.

While some here were in pairs or small groups, others were alone. And everyone was staring at each other, unsure. They knew almost nothing about each other, and had no idea if they could _ever_ trust the other people in the room. So they didn't know where to begin.

"So this is awkward, huh?" said Yang, to the room at large.

No one replied, which only amplified the tension.

Even as confident as the girl was, she cringed slightly at the lack of response.

Until someone else finally spoke up.

"No shit," said the boy who wore his shirt unbuttoned. He had a tail that was as golden as his hair. A Faunus. "They pretty much threw us in the deep end. Not everyone is great at the whole 'getting to know each other' shtick, you know."

He spoke animatedly, and somehow, his open but not overly self-assured demeanour managed to put everyone at ease, if only a little.

"You don't say," replied yet another person who decided to join the conversation. It was the fashionable girl in the beret. She rolled her eyes, but ultimately decided to ditch the sarcasm. "Still, you have a point. This isn't easy."

"No, it isn't." The sporty-looking redhead finally stepped forward. Pyrrha Nikos. That was her name. There was a certain maturity to her tone, along with a warmth that seemed to calm people down. Even Jaune, as guarded as he was, felt himself relax a little.

"We have to start somewhere," she said brightly, "so why not at the beginning? Introductions can't hurt."

There was a general murmur of agreement. She had a point. They would all be fighting together. It would be foolish to not at least know each other's names, and have some form of familiarity with each other.

"I'll start," she said, choosing to lead by example. "I'm Pyrrha Nikos, originally from Mistral. Nice to meet you all."

"Pyrrha Nikos… wait, hold on. You… you were on that online ad for Pumpkin Pete's, weren't you?" said the monkey Faunus.

"Holy shit, he's right," said Yang, her eyes widening. "You're really her, aren't you?"

More people seemed to get excited at this revelation.

Pyrrha seemed perfectly calm. If she was flustered by this sudden wave of attention, she didn't let it show.

"That's me," she said. "I was in an ad for them two years ago. Sadly, the cereal isn't very good for you."

"Wait, it's not?"

The goth girl had finally spoken up. She seemed positively dismayed at this new discovery.

"Come on, say it isn't so," she pleaded.

It was evident she was quite attached to Pumpkin Pete's.

"Sorry," said Pyrrha. "But it's the truth."

"You broke my dream!" moaned dark-haired girl.

_She's… she's behaving like a child!_

Jaune found himself shaking his head incredulously.

"Anyway, nice to meet you, Pyrrha. I'm Ruby Rose, and I think I need to go lie down for a while, knowing breakfast will never be the same again."

"Aww, it's all right, little sis. Pumpkin Pete's might be trash, but there's still Long Running Cereal", said Yang.

_Interesting_, thought Jaune. _So they're sisters, huh? _

"Actually," said the monkey Faunus, "Long Running Cereal is made in Vacuo, and as someone who grew up there, I can confirm it's trash."

"Fuck!" said Yang.

_I thought we were about to introduce ourselves. But I suppose discussing the sad state of mass produced breakfast goods takes priority._

"Anyway," said the blond Faunus, "I'm Sun Wukong. Nice to meet you all."

"Yang Xiao Long," replied the still slightly glowering bombshell. "Sis and I are both from right here in Vale."

"I'm Neptune," added the blue haired companion to Sun. "Also from Vacuo."

"Huh. A lot of you showed up from the other settlements, huh? Kinda risky. Wouldn't it have been better to join up in your home's Eliminator program?"

Each of the four settlements, sometimes called the four kingdoms, had their own Institute, which functioned as the training grounds and commanding authority for its military forces, known as the Eliminators.

The settlements were massive communities that were protected by the Walls. The name was deceptive: it wasn't just their perimeter that was sealed off The settlements existed within massive domes. Apart from the visible walls, that stood one hundred metres high, there were reinforced glass ceilings that covered the top, preventing attack from Mutates that could fly. There was a filtration system that allowed for ventilation, ensuring a habitable atmosphere inside the domes. And mining and farming systems that drew sustenance from the ground.

Yet, everyone knew this couldn't last. Even with the vastly reduced population of mankind, resources would eventually run out within the settlements. If the outside world could not be opened up, humanity would die of starvation, locked in cages of their own making.

Travel between one settlement and another was rare.

When it did occur, it took place by armoured Bullhead. These were used to transport goods, and on rare occasions, people.

There were plenty of Mutates that could fly, so Bullheads were heavily armed and armoured, and capable of supersonic flight. Most flights took place after a lot of planning, timed to avoid hours when the Mutates would be active, and along routes that were relatively less populated by the beasts.

Yang raised a good point.

Jaune could not think of a reason for most people to take the risk of making that dangerous journey by air, only to become an Eliminator, and expose themselves to the danger again. Not when they could simply join up at the Institute located in their home settlement.

Sun and Neptune both looked uncomfortable.

It was clear this was something they didn't want to talk about.

But Sun eventually looked up, determined, and answered, in a low voice.  
"The situation isn't so good out there. I don't know if you've heard in Vale… but Vacuo doesn't do offensive excursions anymore. We've… they've… given up on reclaiming the Wilds. The Shade Institute exists only to guard the settlement."

He was trembling slightly, his fists clenched.

"There's… you gotta understand… something fucked up about all of this. To have to live and die in a fucking cage. We couldn't stand it. So we decided. We'd see the outside. Fight to reclaim it. Even if it means…"

_Dying._

Jaune spoke in his mind the word that Sun did not speak out loud.

Silence reigned once more.

Jaune could see similar expressions on the faces of many, and he realized they must all be those who had made the perilous journey, through the Wilds, to Vale.

In order to join Beacon.

Notable among them was Weiss Schnee.

Her face looked harrowed, haunted. But on it, Jaune could not see a dream. Not like Sun and Neptune.

No, the only drive on her face was survival. And escape.

She hadn't come to Beacon because she had wanted to.

Wherever she was from, she was here because she had run away.

"I came here for a similar reason," said another, quiet voice.

Jaune looked at the one who had spoken.

It was the black-haired girl who had been reading erotica. She had finally put her book away, and stepped forward.

"I'm originally from…" she shook her head. "It doesn't matter. "I was raised in Atlas. Due to… _issues_, I wasn't allowed to join the Institute there. So I had to go to a place where I might have a chance. And… here I am."

She sounded like someone who had taken the biggest risk of their life. But there was determination in her voice.

"I'm Blake," she said. "Blake Belladonna."

At the mention of Atlas, Weiss Schnee had seemed startled, but no one had noticed her reaction other than Jaune.

"Well, welcome to Vale, Blake," said Pyrrha. "I'm hoping we'll get along."

At this pronouncement, several people looked at her expectantly.

"Is… something the matter?" she asked.

"You said you're from Mistral," said Yang. "But you never said why you came here. I mean, not that you have to! But if you wanted to…"

Her voice died away awkwardly as she realized she had asked a pretty personal question.

Pyrrha shook her head, a sad smile on her face.

"That's all right. I don't mind telling you all."

She looked around at them all, bravely meeting their eyes.

"Shade isn't the only Institute that's given up on reclaiming the world," she said. "Haven too has ceased excursions. And I… I wasn't willing to die behind the Walls. Not without having tried to regain what we all lost. Our freedom."

As she spoke, she looked at everyone around her, one by one. Last of all, her eyes met Jaune's.

The young man was tempted to look away.

He was getting uncomfortable himself now.

After the reasons they had given so far… noble reasons.

Fighting for freedom. Reclaiming freedom for mankind.

After hearing Sun and Pyrrha speak, he couldn't bring himself to say it in front of everyone.

_He wasn't here to fight for anyone else._

_Humanity's freedom._

_Mistral._

_Vacuo.  
Atlas._

_Vale._

He wasn't here for any of that.

He just wanted to fight. For his own selfish reasons, he was in an institute that was supposed to exist to serve others.  
_  
_And he was here to serve himself.

"Pointless shit," muttered a voice from somewhere next to him.

He turned to see the boy in the har, with the heterochromatic girl.

The boy looked at Jaune.

"Look at these fools. They'll be dead on their first day on the field. I'd wager a hundred lien on it. Naive, stupid, idealistic fools. They actually believe we've got a shot at winning? Hah. But you… you look like you know. That makes you one of _us._ We should stick together. Us survivors. Because like us, you know, that at the end of the day, all that matters is being alive, and having all your body parts intact."

Jaune gazed at him neutrally for a moment before answering.

"Considering that objective, you seem to be at the wrong place. This is Beacon, remember? Where they send you out to fight Mutates. Not exactly the ideal situation for someone who wants to survive."

The boy laughed at that, and even the girl, who had said nothing so far, was giggling.

"I knew you were a smart one. It's like you said, this is the absolutely worst survival strategy. And yet, here we are. And it's for the same reason you're here. Because there's something to gain from this crazy gig."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

The boy wagged his finger admonishingly.

"No, no, no. Too soon to be asking that question. We don't really have any reason to trust each other, now do we. Not yet, at least. But hey, if we get along, maybe one day we will."

"Is there a reason you started this conversation?" asked Jaune, annoyed with his deliberately showy manner of speech.

"Why, yes! We're doing introductions, aren't we? We wanted to get acquainted with you. After all, even in a place like this, I'd be doing everything I can to increase my chances of staying alive. And that, of course, means getting along with everyone who has strength."

"Save the flattery," said Jaune drily.

"Hahaha! Of course. Forgive me. My name is Roman Torchwick. Pleased to make your acquaintance. And this, is the lovely Neopolitan. We're pretty fortunate. It's not every day we get to meet a celebrity… _Mr. Arc._"

The way he emphasized his name left no doubt: Roman was well aware of the history associated with Jaune's parents.

It didn't necessarily mean they knew anything about him. They wouldn't have any reason to, since Jaune himself wasn't famous. And they wouldn't have a way of knowing either: he had spent the last six years away from his family. They'd have no way of gaining any information about him unless they tailed him, which he knew they didn't.

Still, even the fact that they knew of his family, while he knew nothing about them, annoyed Jaune.

And he wasn't about to let them keep that upper hand, no matter how small it was.

"My my. It feels good to be famous," said Jaune. "Maybe someone of my standing needs a nice fancy hat… _like this one._"

He twirled Roman's hat on the tip of his finger.

The orange-headed boy's eyes widened, and he immediately reached up to his head to check. When he confirmed that it was indeed his hat that was in Jaune's hands, he looked furious.

"When did you… _How _did you…?"

Jaune wagged his finger, parodying Roman's earlier gesture.

"No, no, no. It's too soon to be asking me that. Maybe someday, I'll trust you enough to tell you. Actually, most likely not. But I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

He tossed the hat back to Roman.

As he caught it, Jaune turned his eyes to Neopolitan… who was looking at him with the strangest expression on her face.

There was the tiniest tinge of red on her cheeks, and her eyes were wide and unblinking.

She looked… hungry.

_Okay. This is officially creepy. I'm going to get the fuck out of here now. _

Thinking thus, he turned to leave, only to see that several people were looking right at him.

_Shit._

He wondered if they had seen the little exchange from just now go down.

While they hadn't been speaking loudly, it was possible that someone really straining their ears (or possessing enhanced senses, which was entirely possible), had overheard them. And Jaune didn't think it would be a good idea to be associated with a guy who had, on day 1, called everyone else "naive, stupid, idealistic fools".

Fortunately, no one seemed to have heard that bit.

"And what about you, Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious? What's your story?" asked Yang.

There was an undercurrent to her voice, a spark that showed that behind the casually worded question, she was actually interested in knowing.

Several others were also staring at him eagerly.

In fact, somehow, Jaune found himself in exactly the position he didn't want to be: the centre of attention.

His eyes roamed on instinct, taking in everyone around him.

They all seemed to be waiting for his answer.

Even Weiss Schnee seemed slightly less tired.

Jaune forced himself to calm down.

If he lashed out, he would only be creating problems for himself down the line.

Familiarity breeds disinterest. He would tell them just enough that they'd think he was not much different from any of them (which, he admitted, in certain ways he was not).

"Nothing special," he said finally. "I'm here for the same reason everyone else is."

"Hmm… is that so, big guy?"

Yang took a few steps closer to him.

"Where you from?"

"Right here in Vale," Jaune answered cautiously. The Arcs were famous, but not to the extent where they were household names. Most people here would not have heard of his family.

"Really? I thought what with the whole 'silent badass' deal you had going, you'd be one of the folks who came here from halfway around the world, risking life and everything."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I've never even been off this continent."

With that, he made to walk past her, only for her to step to the side and block his path again.

He frowned at her, while she grinned in return.

"Slow down there. What's the hurry? You know, I've noticed you're kinda trying hard to do the whole loner thing. But you heard what that guy said. We gotta all work together. Be easier to do that if you, you know, actually tried talking to everyone else."

"She's right, you know," added Pyrrha, who had also stepped forward. "I realize this might be a bit uncomfortable, being forced to suddenly coexist with everyone else in one place, but if we just communicate, I'm sure we can get along."

"I know," said Jaune shortly. He hoped they would all get the hint and let this go.

Unfortunately, no one seemed to be interested in letting anything go.

Even the introverted Blake added her voice.

"Is there a reason you're so eager to avoid everyone?"

Jaune sighed.

There was no way out of this.

"I'm not trying to avoid anyone-"

"Come on, don't bullshit us right to our face," said Yang.

There were other similar statements from several more people.

Exasperated, Jaune threw up his hands.

"Look, I don't do so good with people, all right? It's going to take me a little while to adjust to suddenly having so many of you around."

He paused and calmed down a little as he exhaled.

In a softer voice, he continued.

"But I guess an introduction is in order. My name's Jaune. Jaune Arc. And I guess we'll be fighting for our lives together, so we might as well get to know each other."

"Yeah! That's the spirit! Yang excitedly clapped him on the back, then paused and looked at her hand and back at him.

"Wow, you're pretty built, huh? You work out a lot?"

"I've lifted some weights," he answered simply.

"I'll say," said the blonde, lowering her aviators. Her eyes were revealed to be a surprisingly soft shade of lilac, and she winked at him. Jaune felt an involuntary shudder pass through his frame, and it certainly wasn't because he felt unpleasant.

"You pressed, what, 2 tons? That was pretty cool. And your super strength is constant too! No need to charge up or anything. That's fucking badass, dude."

Jaune looked at her.

"You weren't too shabby either," he finally said. "Didn't think I'd ever see someone guzzle down rocket fuel to power up. You aren't related to Mr. Norris, are you?"

Yang grinned.

"Chuck is my uncle, actually," she replied confidently, causing Jaune to roll his eyes. "But hey, we weren't the only impressive ones out there. Thunder girl over there was a beast too."

"Did someone say Nora?" came a loud, excited voice.

"No one said Nora," Jaune called back, before she came over and joined the conversation. She was far too hyper for him to handle at the moment.

"Oh, okay," she yelled out, fading back into the background.

_Huh. That actually worked, huh?_

"And then of course, there was Miss Magneto over here," continued Yang, unphased.

"Hello again," said Pyrrha.

"Hello," replied Jaune, finding himself speaking before he could stop himself.

"All in all, we're a pretty solid unit. I mean, pretty much everyone here is a beast-"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Jaune said, cutting her off. "Yes, everyone here has a powerful ability. But so does each and every Mutate. It's not enough to have the power. Gotta know how to use it. Gotta know when to use it, and what for."

"He's right," said Pyrrha. "Our success is also going to depend on being an effective team."

Jaune sensed this conversation could go on for a while, but time was passing by. He wanted to be well-rested for what was about to come.

"And it depends on getting enough sleep too," he said. "So with that in mind, I'm going to turn in."

"Ah shit, it's 10:00 pm already?" exclaimed Yang.

Leaving behind the group, he grabbed his bag and moved towards the beds. None of them had been claimed yet, so he decided to pick one at random, stowing his belongings under it.  
The bed was attached to the wall, in the manner of a bunk bed. He checked inside the desk cupboard, and found several neatly folded sets of uniforms inside. There was also a pair of boots under the bed.

_Guess I won't have to worry about clothes, then._

Satisfied, he took off his shoes and socks.

All around him, others had claimed their own beds too, and there were plenty that were unoccupied. Evidently, the living quarters had extra.

It was at this point that Jaune noticed several of the girls shooting slightly uncomfortable looks at the boys, and he realized what must be up.

There was the matter of changing into night clothes. Also, not everyone might feel all right with being in said night clothes in front of the opposite sex.

But there was no way around this cohabitation. The best one could do was find ways to adjust and cooperate.

People seemed to reach this conclusion soon enough, and that led to an agreement that the girls would get changed in the bathing area, and none of the guys were to enter while this was happening.

Jaune, who wasn't interested in these shenanigans in the first place, simply took off his t shirt (his second one that day, since Cardin's explosion had destroyed the first) and trousers. He kept his briefs on, and slipped on a simple vest. The temperature in the living quarters, centrally controlled, was just right: not hot or cold. He'd have no trouble sleeping.

As he was about to turn in, he happened to look around, and found that quite a few of the girls had not entered the bathing area.

Instead, they were staring at him.

_Oh come on. Hypocrisy much?_

Still, he'd have to get used to this.

The plus side was, when the thirst was this obvious, and so widespread, it didn't affect him. He supposed it was only normal.

Still, several of the guys were now shooting him dirty looks.

_I literally don't even want this attention. You can all keep it._

Shaking his head at how ridiculous everyone was being, he lay down and closed his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note****: The response so far has been, to put it politely, absolutely fucking amazing. You are all hype. And that makes me hype. And that makes this story hype. Which in turn gets you all hype. We have here a self-sustaining cycle of hype that could serve as a perpetual energy generator. Now if only we could find a way to convert this all to electricity…**

**Anyway, I ramble. The point is, thank you. All of you.**

**A special thanks to Guest Reviewer WearyCurmudgeon for pointing out grammatical errors and typos. I basically write this fic after work, when I'm a little too weary to always bother going through everything again and weeding out every mistake. I have considered the idea of getting a beta reader or assistant writer once or twice, but for now, I think I'll keep doing what I'm doing.**

**I'm glad this new, darker version of Jaune has so far managed to get your interest. You can rest assured that all of the RWBY characters who appear here will be different in some way or the other from their canon selves, and sometimes in big ways!**

**One of you asked, if I'm not mistaken, about the ages of the main cast. As opposed to canon, all the Recruits are aged 19-23 here.**

**With that being said, let us get this show on the road!**

**EDIT: This took all Sunday to write. I got work tomorrow, so I can't stay up any later and re-read it. Please find it in your hearts to forgive any errors. With that said, enjoy!  
**

**Chapter 3, Part 1: Rejection**

It had been around a week since the Recruits had begun living together, and started their training. Very quickly, they had all realized that Beacon didn't cut any corners when it came to training humanity's best warriors. The Institute was a cross between elite academy and military boot camp, combining the facilities and knowledge of the former with the rigours and unyielding standards of the latter. The training was harsh, demanding, and methodically designed to hone their abilities to the absolute peak. Lessons began at 7:00 every morning, and did not end until 7:00 in the evening, with brief breaks for lunch and shower.

The evenings were free time for the Recruits to do with as they would. The idea was to work them hard, but also provide them time to mentally rejuvenate themselves through whatever leisure they preferred. Beacon had already figured out that the practices common in traditional human armies would not be the best choices here, and that the Empowered could not be thought of as a standard force. A lot was riding on their individual ability, and there were not enough of them for any to be expendable. Thus, free time was provided, along with facilities that they asked for, as long as those in-charge saw no issue with them. A well-rested team, with high morale was far more useful than a group of burnouts who hated life and hated Beacon.

In addition, the free time was important because it gave the Recruits a chance to bond with each other.

Thus, the entire schedule was designed with good intentions (or at least practical considerations) in mind.

In practice, it ended up being pretty much absolute chaos.

After all, a group of older teens and young twenty-somethings all shoved together in one place were bound to be a recipe for all sorts of developments.

Take Jaune for example.

A young, focused lad whose goal was simple, and admirable: to pummel every single Mutate into dust, along with whoever or whatever else challenged him. And he had thought that Beacon would be a great place to begin this journey of destruction.

After all, top class facilities, all the knowledge possessed by humanity regarding Mutates, along with some of the best combat training he could get, along with a host of high-tech weaponry to dish out damage in even greater amounts.

Nothing could go wrong, right?

…

_Murphy's Law. Never forget,_ he bitterly told himself.

Living with the other Recruits was like Russian Roulette, except, instead of bullets, pretty much anything could come at him.

Like the one time he had set up the squat rack and started doing his reps, only to realize that half the female populace was staring at him, not even bothering to be subtle about it (Yang shouting at him to "work that ass" did not count as subtlety).

Or that other time he had reached out for steak at dinner, only for Roman to casually swipe it up and practically inhale it, leaving not even pieces, and laughing, saying the score was now two to one in his favour.

Or that other other time when he had _accidentally_ snuck a peek at a book Blake was reading. Ninjas were _not_ supposed to behave like that, and _swords _were not supposed to be… you know what? Never mind.

Such incidences were the norm rather than the exception, and that wasn't even counting the absolute thirst displayed by both the guys and the girls during bathing time or any occasion when they needed to change clothes.

To Jaune's immense displeasure, after the initial dislike, most of the boys had started hanging out with him, acting friendly, and treating him like "one of the bros". A lot of this involved pleading for him to teach them his secret of how to have "mad game". The rest of it involved asking to look at his notes or copy his assignments. Because of course, no one did their own homework even when it meant the difference between living and dying.

Of fucking course.

Still, that was life at Beacon. And while it wasn't ideal by Jaune's reckoning, he was doing his best to adjust to it.

At the current moment, that meant running laps around the 400 metre track of the indoor training ground.

"This… *huff huff* is… pointless," muttered Ruby. "Why do we have to train without our Abilities? I could have finished this by now if I was allowed to use my powers!"

Jaune did not turn, looking straight ahead as he continued running, not missing a single step, not even breathing hard.

"Because your stamina needs a lot of work," he said. "If you tire out, you can't fight. Also, you might find yourself in a situation where you can't use your Ability."

"Easy for you to say," grumbled the goth girl. "You're using yours, aren't you?"

Jaune had, of course, not revealed that superhuman physical attributes were not his Ability, let alone told them what his true power was.

"That's because I can't turn my powers off," he replied, a half-truth. It was certainly true that his base level of strength, stamina, speed and other physical characteristics were superhuman, due to his body's nature after his alterations.

When he had fed this same story to the Beacon staff, they had decided to compensate by making the training more difficult for him.

Thus, he was currently running with a special vest on. Made of a dense alloy, it weighed 1500 kg, more than an ordinary human could even lift off the ground, let alone run with.

Considering that his lift during the Test was 2 tons, it was obvious someone at Beacon had caught on to the fact that he had been holding back, and had decided to give him this a vest that would adequately challenge him.

Jaune was rather thankful. No point to this running unless it actually taxed his muscles and cardiovascular system.

He was in the small minority of the Recruits who felt that way.

Roman Torchwick was right next to him, keeping pace, though he didn't have a ton of weight strapped to him. He was in surprisingly good shape, though it was clear he didn't enjoy working out.

Jaune had the feeling he was keeping up with him through sheer force of hatred, which he found impressive in a way.

"Damned show off," muttered the orange-haired boy, who had taken off his hat, and was dressed in track and field gear, like everyone else.

His blond "rival" chose not to dignify that with a response.

Another one who was keeping up without too much effort was Pyrrha Nikos, who was quite fit for someone whose Ability had nothing to do with her body's performance.

Both Sun and Neptune also had good stamina, as did Yang and Blake.

Further back was everyone else.

Neopolitan frankly looked like she could catch up to those in front any time she wanted, but couldn't be bothered to do so.

Coco and Velvet were doing fine, but clearly weren't going to be winning if this was a race.

Trailing the pack were Nora, Ren and Weiss.

Nora could have moved ahead, but it was obvious she was staying behind for Ren. The dark-haired youth had a slender, almost frail build, and it was impressive he hadn't collapsed so far. Weiss obviously didn't have endurance as a strong point, and was breathing hard, face scrunched up in an expression that said she hated every moment of this, but would still go through with it.

By the time the trainer blew the whistle signalling them to stop, they had run 1600 metres, and many of them were exhausted.

"That will be enough for now. Rest and rehydrate, then proceed to Weapons Training, Room 805."

With that, the trainer left. He was a man of few words, and said nothing beyond what was strictly necessary. This seemed to be the norm at Beacon, with most of their instructors only speaking to impart information or explain how an exercise was to be performed.

"Man, we just don't get a break, do we?" groaned Sun.

"Yeah, wish they'd back off a little," said Yang. While both of them had energy to spare, constant lessons one after the other took a toll on one's mental energy.

"Well, this is a military program," said Blake. She made an effort to maintain her usual composure and calm, but it was clear that this was challenging even for her. She drank deeply from one of the water fountains, then admitted as much. "Still. You're not wrong. This much is exhausting for anyone."

"Yeah? Well, there are exceptions, honey. Wish I had some people's drive," said Yang.

She was referring, of course, to Jaune, who had already drank water and was starting to head towards the next location. He heard her, but chose not to answer.

"The hell is his problem?" demanded the fiery blonde, not used to being ignored like this. "It's been a week, but he's still got his panties in a bunch. I admit he's easy on the eyes, but he's kind of sort of being a complete dick. All the time."

In their time together so far, all the Recruits had developed at least some kind of communication with each other. The exception was Jaune. While he ended up getting dragged into everyone else's shenanigans, and certainly received a lot of attention, he had studiously resisted all attempts at reaching out to him.

It wasn't surprising that this had all resulted in Yang finally starting to lose her patience with him.

Luckily, Pyrrha's calming influence was present as always.

"It's just how he is," she said. "I don't think he means anything by it."

Even as she said the words, she couldn't help but doubt them.

During their first meeting, she had been drawn towards him because of the similarities between the two of them. But after a week living with him, she was starting to think he was wildly different from how she had thought he was.

The boy was taciturn, stoic, and almost unnaturally focused on his training. It was slightly unnerving. No matter what task the Eliminator course placed before him, he performed it with almost machine-like effectiveness and diligence.

That wasn't to say he never spoke. He would join in from time to time, and reply seriously if he was asked anything related to a skill or their lessons. Occasionally, he would even make dry quips, trading insults with Roman Torchwick, who seemed to despise him.

But Pyrrha's instincts, and her ability to read people, honed through her years as a lonely teen, told her that he was hiding something. She wasn't sure what secrets he was keeping from everyone, but one thing she was certain of: Jaune was here with his own agenda.

She wasn't sure if she could trust someone like that, no matter how skilled he was.

It was a month after their arrival that the weekly routine they had established was broken, and something new was introduced into their life.

_Someone, _to be precise.

One day, when they arrived for their scheduled Combat Training, they found a new instructor waiting for them, someone familiar to two certain girls.

"Uncle Qrow!" yelled Ruby.

"Qrow!?" said Yang incredulously.

"That's _Instructor_ Qrow to the two of you," said the man. He was on the taller side, and rather lean, with a hard cut face, a slight stubble, and untidy dark hair. Most people would agree he was rather good looking in a rugged manner. He seemed tired and kept taking swigs from a metal flask he was carrying with him. What with the smell, Jaune didn't even need to use his Ability to ascertain that there was alcohol in it.

"Who's this guy?" muttered Sun. "Is he allowed to drink in here?"

"I'm allowed to do whatever I want," replied Qrow, who had heard him. "The reason behind that is simple: even halfway out of my senses, I am less of a liability to this Institute than you brats."

He glared at them all for a while before taking another sip and finally screwing the flask shut.

"You've been here for a month," he said finally. "In that time, you've gone from being a rebellious, no-discipline, unfit bunch of punks, to a rebellious, no-discipline bunch of punks with maybe a little bit of substance to them. The higher-ups decided it was time to get some real training underway, and to that end, they sent me here to whip you lot into shape."

"What are we going to do?" asked Pyrrha cautiously.

"You've all been using your Abilities since you were kids. And since coming here, you've been pushing their limits, learning to focus them properly. But here's the thing: can you really know where you stand… if you've never been in a fight?"

"We have been in fights though," said Sun.

Qrow smirked.

"Whatever pillow brawls you've had don't count as real fights. Don't believe me? Step right up, and let me show you."

A murmur of apprehension went through the Recruits.

"Wait, so this class…"

"Is your introduction to live sparring," completed Qrow. "Here, I'm going to see which of you know what you're actually doing, and help you improve. And it's where I see which of you are deadweight, and light a fire under your asses so that you quit being useless."

He turned to Sun again, and gestured at him to come forward.

"Well, kid? You coming, or was everything you said just hot air?"

Sun's expression darkened.

Jaune felt a smile coming onto his face.

_So you've got a spine after all._

He stepped forward, looking to observe this fight properly.

Sun approached Qrow, stepping into the circular sparring arena built into the centre of the room.

His demeanour was completely different from his normal, happy-go-lucky personality.

"You sure about this?" he said to Qrow. "Might be too late for regrets once this starts."

"Nah. I'll take it easy on you," replied the older man.

That was all the confirmation Sun needed.

He nodded and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, his fist and arms were covered in scaly, jagged protrusions.

Jaune had seen Sun's Ability during their lessons together.

When active, it transformed his epithelial tissue. Rather than being made of keratin, which was common for the horns and shells of several organisms in the world, Sun's armour was still skin.

A localized electromagnetic field generated by his body essentially held the cells together tighter, making them rigid. In addition, it was capable of altering its shape to an extent, thickening its extent, which ensured that trauma was not penetrate through to his inner systems.

This was an armour formed by reinforced skin.

And it was _much_ stronger than it sounded.

Sun leapt forward.

His athleticism allowed him to close the ten feet of distance between him and Qrow in one bound, and he descended with a violent pounding blow.

The older man stepped back, barely avoiding it.

The punch, powered by Sun's full and considerable strength, backed up by his weight, and delivered with his hardened fist, slammed into the matted floor, and even with the padded surface, produced an impact that shook the room slightly.

"Oho. Got some fire there, kid."

With a grunt, Sun accelerated out of his crouched landing, seamlessly transitioning into a dash to chase him down and follow the attack.

Jaune nodded with approval.

In his mind, he was rooting for his fellow blond.

Qrow struck him as an arrogant asshole, exactly the sort of person who had told him he would never amount to anything.

"Aaaargh!"

Sun proceeded into a powerful left hook that would have knocked most people into next week. He had a boxer's form, though slightly more loose, a result of using this style on the streets of Vacuo.

Qrow avoided it by leaning and stepping backwards, out of reach.

The young Faunus pressed the assault.

Right straight. Sidestep to gain angle. Left body blow. Left body blow. Left face hook. Right haymaker. Left knee strike.

Always, Qrow was able to make the attack useless, either by avoiding it using footword and body movement, or by parrying the blow, choosing to redirect the attacks instead of opposing them.

"Stop running away!"

Frustration bursting through Sun, he lashed out wildly, his controlled form breaking for an instant as he swung his left arm, desperate to catch Qrow with at least one strike.

"_And that's why you lose,"_ said Qrow, already a step outside Sun's reach.

Jaune had already caught on to it.

It wasn't that the older man was faster than the Faunus. And he certainly wasn't stronger.

_He sees the blows coming, and reacts in advance._

He was able to read Sun's movements.

_He was controlling this match from the start._

It all came together.

The taunts in the beginning were to get Sun riled up, making him go on the offence, though his Ability was well suited to defence, and would likely give him a better chance of winning if he fought more cautiously and reactively.

Once the youth was angry, his movements became larger than they needed to be, and had obvious tells that made them predictable.

From there, even Qrow with his inferior physical abilities could avoid them and nullify the onslaught.

"_Here's the kicker: I haven't even used my Ability yet."_

Sun's eyes had only a moment to widen in surprise, before he felt his footing give way.

His latest swing had left him disbalanced, and he'd slipped.

Before he could even fall over, Qrow dashed back in, low, turning as he did so, and getting his hand under Sun's extended arm, around his armpit and shoulder. As he did so, he used his other hand to grab the youth's wrist. Simultaneously, he pivoted, turning his back and popping his hips explosively, as he pulled on the arm and lowered his torso.

The resulting hip throw combined the force the move itself with Sun's own momentum.

The boy hit the ground hard enough that the room shook under everyone's feet.

Without his armoured skin, that slam could have broken his spine, or knocked him out, even on the matted surface.

Qrow retained control of the arm, turning him onto his front while placing a foot to brace against his shoulder, ensuring the youth wouldn't be able to move.

To drive home the point, he pulled out a revolver from the holster at his hip, and pointed it at the downed opponent.

"Dead," he said, softly.

Sun stopped struggling when he heard the cold click of the revolver being cocked.

The Instructor release his arm and stepped back, but only put the gun back in its holster when he was three feet away from Sun.

As the boy got to his feet, he looked at the roomful of Recruits.

"Now, was that enough of a pro-wrestling match for you to get the message? Or do I have to make this movie again?"

It was clear what he was saying.

Their thought process during a fight was raw enough that he was able to make them dance to whatever tune he composed. Essentially, he had choreographed that entire bout, without Sun even knowing it.

"You pulled a gun on me," the boy said sullenly, glaring at him.

Qrow's glare darkened.

"You really think Mutates have any idea what a fair fight means?"

He walked right up to Sun, not the least bit intimidated by the boy's bulkier frame.

"If this was on the field, I would have blown a ventilation hole through your guts, and double tapped you in the head for good measure. This is war, not a goddamned boxing match. If you want to play at being a badass, you're in the wrong place."

Chastised, Sun looked away.

Qrow turned to the room at large.

"I'm guessing a lot of you are wondering why we even bother teaching you to fight humans and Empowered, when your purpose is to fight Mutates. The answer is, because fighting, at its root, is the same. We are teaching you to do damage and get the kill, no matter the opponent. In other words, what you need to learn is how to _think_ in a combat situation.

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"Preparing the battlefield with traps. Getting your allies to help out. Using unexpected weapons. And above all, deceiving the enemy. These are all the basics to war. Strong opponent? Snipe him from a distance. Fast opponent? Oil the entire field and watch him break his neck when he slips. Tricky opponent? Ain't no tricks an RPG to the face can't solve. This is not a schoolyard fight. You are fighting to keep us all alive, so you better act like it."

The Recruits said nothing, silently taking in his words, and trying to come to terms with their meaning. Despite the fact that many of them had already been in harsh battles, most had never truly been in a kill-or-be-killed situation. Though they had known it from the moment they had first decided to join the Eliminator program, it was finally sinking in: their job was to end lives.

For many of them, this opened up a world of new possibilities and factors to consider in a fight. They could do so much more… but they also had to watch out for so much more.

Jaune continued to glare at Qrow.

The man's speech, while it made perfect sense, hadn't contained anything he didn't already know.

So his attention was focused on figuring out the _ending_ to that little demonstration.

While it was certain Qrow had the situation under control, how exactly had he set Sun up for that hip throw finish?

While the youth's swing had been wild, he had not thrown himself far enough to lose his balance.

In fact, to Jaune, it looked almost _unnatural_ how his foot had seemed to slip, as if an external force had given it a tiny nudge, just enough to tilt it out from under his leg, causing him to topple.

Jaune could imagine it was the sort of trick he himself would pull using his telekinesis.

So did Qrow also possess some form of telekinetic power? Or was it something else?

Sun wasn't wearing metallic boots, so it couldn't have been magnetism, like Pyrhha.

Had he somehow stimulated Sun's body directly?

No, there had been no occurrences that suggested this possibility.

It had definitely been some kind of force acting on his foot.

It had been small. Tiny.

Just enough to make him fall.

Almost as if the world had decided to make him slip.

He shook his head. There wasn't enough information to go on. For the moment, he concluded that Qrow's Ability could achieve some effects similar to telekinesis.

_How did he make it look like it was deliberate _and _lucky, at the same time?_

He decided to file away that observation. While it might simply be his feelings on the matter, he wouldn't ignore them. It was just something to watch out for.

"All right," called Qrow. "We'll get started on having you lot go up against each other, beginning with one on one battles. Remember what you've just learned. Hold nothing back. Use every advantage you can. Stay sharp, and keep your mind open. Do whatever it takes, and make your opponent submit."

The rest of the lesson, which lasted two hours, consisted of bouts in this manner. Since most of the fights didn't last long, each Recruit ended up battling several times, and by the time it was over, almost everyone was bruised and tired.

Qrow watched them intently, noting down every detail of what they were and weren't capable of. They were all of them at a decent level, what might be expected from young people who had grown up with their powers, and was only starting to be formally trained in how to use them.

Some were ahead of the others. Pyrrha Nikos was exceptional. Ruby and Yang were both better than average, since he himself had taught them at least the basics of unarmed martial arts.

There was only one true outlier.

_Jaune_ _Arc._

Nothing about him added up.

His Ability was listed as superhuman attributes, and observation over a month had revealed that this included unnaturally high levels of strength, speed, agility, endurance, stamina and toughness.

He was essentially a powerhouse.

In a way, this made him the perfect warrior.

However, there would have been several ways to deal with someone if all they had was raw power.

In fact, Yang's power absorption and boosting could make her stronger than Jaune. Sun's armour could make him tougher. Velvet could have been able to defeat him if she employed smart tactics with her solid light constructs.

Yet, none of those three had been able to land a convincing blow on them.

He had fought defensively, until each of them had made errors that he had capitalized on to get them in positions where they could not escape a potential finishing blow.

As a matter of fact, all three of them had been placed in the except same face-down, arm and shoulder control position Qrow himself had used to subdue Sun.

It was as if the young Recruit was trying to say that whatever Qrow could do, he could do better.

Cheeky brat.

But the fights had not been exceptional in any obvious way. In fact, they had been _too _plain. He had seemed to do nothing special, and somehow won anyway.

The casual observer would have been unable to figure out why this was, or even concluded that Jaune came through just barely.

But Qrow knew better.

The boy's movements were not normal.

There was no evidence of any particular style, be it Karate, or Muay Thai, or Jiu-Jitsu. Yet, his moves applied principles that could be found in all of them.

If Qrow's analysis was correct, Jaune was self-taught… and he had learnt to fight by getting into fights. His motions, reactions and choices showed the raw instinct and intent that one developed by having been in many, many, many confrontations. Life and death confrontations.

The reason the fights had seemed plain… was because none of his opponents stood a chance.

He had read them before the bouts even began, and could see all their attacks coming from the moment they began them, often even before.

Meaning, he had _allowed_ them to go through the motions, then chosen a moment to counter.

The counter could have come at any time.

No, Jaune could have initiated the attack.

He'd simply chosen not to.

_What the hell is someone like him doing here? _

This boy was a Recruit in name only. He was an experienced warrior, hiding in plain sight.

Why? Why was he hiding.

What was he hiding?

He didn't know.

And he didn't like it.

Ozpin had warned him that Jaune Arc was to be observed carefully. He could see now why the General had said so.

Something about him… just wasn't right.

Lessons ended at 7:00 pm as usual, and the Recruits returned to their quarters, tired, battered and bruised.

"Well, today sucked", said Yang.

To say she was displeased with her uncle would have been an understatement. Qrow had never said or even hinted that he might be an Instructor at Beacon. Yang had thought he was still on field missions as he was whenever he was on duty. Yet, he here he was, appearing out of nowhere. Not just that, he had proceeded to mercilessly put them through the wringer. Even the feisty blonde, who loved the feel of going up against someone in a fierce struggle, had her limits. And those limits had been hit and broken through when she had been casually and uncompromisingly defeated by the most _smug, self-satisfied, self-superior bastard _she had ever met.

The face which had seemed handsome to her before now made her want to pummel it into a fleshy pulp.

What was most annoying about the whole thing was that he hadn't even seemed to be trying.

Like he hadn't been fighting _Yang._ Just another opponent. A practice dummy.

Like the bout had meant nothing to him.

She grabbed a change of clothes and slammed her cupboard shut, harder than needed.

Several people turned to stare at her, but most knew better than to say anything. They had learnt that Yang could be a bit of a hothead, and it was best to avoid her when her temper was high.

She turned and shot Jaune a nasty look.

The boy didn't even notice, seeming too busy storing away his gear properly.

It pissed her off even more.

"So today absolutely sucked a whole bag of dicks," she said to the entire room in general.

She was looking to vent, and nobody was taking the bait.

Seeing this, and feeling even more frustrated, she went on.

"Thanks in no small part to my shitty fucking uncle."

"Yang…", Ruby began, trying to calm her down.

This only egged her on.

She had never felt so humiliated in her life, and she was absolutely going to take it out on someone, preferably the person who was at fault.

"Oh yeah, and thanks also to that one goddamned robot in this room."

She didn't mention a name, but as one the entire group turned to look at Jaune, who realized he was once more the centre of attention.

He slowly turned towards Yang.

"What, you got something to say?" she provoked.

"No, not really," replied Jaune. "Good fight today. You did well."

That was the last straw.

Yang's eyes momentarily glowed red and she exploded in rage.

"I have fucking had it up to here with your shitty fucking attitude. What exactly is your problem?"

Jaune took a deep breath. This was inevitable. He had felt it would only be a matter of time before they realized he wasn't about to make any friends, and once they did, they'd be wary of him. Once that happened, they'd pick any excuse to get mad at him. Of course, getting beaten in a spar counted.

"So now it's a problem because I don't fit into your neat little image of what I'm supposed to be?"

"Neat little image? Maybe it's just annoying that you have to constantly act like you're better than everyone else."

"I don't act like I'm better than anyone. I just don't go out of my way to talk to people who seem like a pain to deal with."

Yang's eyes narrowed.

"So that's how you think of us. A _pain to deal with._ Good to know, Jaune. It's real good to be on a team with you."

Jaune mentally swore. He couldn't believe he had let himself slip like that.

The mood in the room had changed. From looking to calm Yang down, most people now seemed markedly cold towards Jaune.

He looked around.

Ruby seemed hurt.

Even Sun, who had treated him like a bro, was looking at him in shock.

Pyrrha looked sad, and resigned.

_This is all so much fucking bullshit._

He hadn't even come here for any of this. It shouldn't even matter to him what any of them thought about him.

Why, then, did he feel so angry?

And why did this hurt?

_I don't need this._

_I don't need them._

_I don't need anyone.  
_"You're right," he said in a low voice. "None of you mean anything to me. Is that what you all wanted to hear? Are you satisfied now? Because I have things to do."

With that, he proceeded into the bathing area, not meeting their eyes.

Jaune had never faltered during his ten years of hard work. Not when he had been at home, and not during the six years he had spent travelling. At first, he had wanted those things: he had wanted people who cared. People he felt he belonged with. But he had been alone. And he had learned to unfailingly believe in himself. Never doubting that he could do everything he needed to, alone.

He had not regretted never having a friend.

He had not regretted never knowing what it was like to be wanted.

He had not regretted having no one to bare himself to.

He had not regretted these things for a long time.

But today, he felt that resolve shaking.

He knew it was irrational. Knew it didn't make any sense.

He had only known them for a month. Certainly not long enough for them to mean anything to him.

And besides.

He didn't believe in stuff like that anyway.

Friendship and love didn't win battles.

Friendship and love hadn't kept him alive, or believed in him.

He'd needed to do that himself.

He took off his clothes and turned on the shower, stepping into the drizzle.

_I don't need them_, he told himself firmly.

The next several weeks passed by with this new dynamic.

The rest of the Recruits would get along, and Jaune would be isolated, the loner in a room full of people.

The strange hurt he had first experienced on the night of his argument with Yang didn't go away. But he got used to it, and in time, learned to stay focused on his tasks in spite of it.

Their training proceeded, advancing to higher stages.

At the end of the second month, the Recruits had gained at least a functional level of proficiency with their weapons, and become much better at using their Abilities. Jaune had still not used his power during any of the lessons, instead choosing to practice using it at other times, in ways no one would notice. In the living quarters in his free time, he would grab hold of individual molecules of the air around him, and play around with them, moving them one at a time, or in groups. He would split them into their constituent atoms and then put them back together. By ensuring that he was working with very few molecules, and choosing his changes wisely, he never created a reaction that would be volatile or harmful, or even noticeable by any of the others. In this way, he was able to keep his skills sharp. He also chose this opportunity to cultivate a new skill. Previously, it had taken all his concentration to alter matter in this way, meaning, if he were using his power for that task, he could not simultaneously do anything else. This would be a problem in a fight. He had compensated earlier by either making whatever substance he needed to create before engaging the enemy, or by directly using his power on them in a way that destroyed them without giving any chance to counterattack.

Manipulating matter at the molecular and atomic level took time, at least a few seconds for him to reach out, feel, and grab on to them with his telekinesis, and a few seconds more for him to perform the changes.

He could, for example, locate an opponent's lungs, and oxidize them, instantly killing them. Or he could condense the water inside their body, causing ice to tear through their insides.

But these certain kill attacks took time to carry out.

So he needed to initiate them before the enemy realized what he was doing, or where he was. Preferably before they even knew he was there.

So, his new regime worked on increasing the speed at which he could feel and manipulate particles, and on developing the ability to do so while also performing other tasks.

He worked on using his Ability while doing bodyweight exercises like pull ups or push ups, and eventually proceeded to being able to do so while carrying out attacks like punches and kicks in the form of combos.

He hadn't mastered it completely, but with his high durability and power, he would be able to survive his opponents' onslaught long enough to use it.

So, when their third month began, their lessons now included studies of known Mutate types. Their appearance, characteristics, abilities, behaviour, habitats, strengths and weaknesses.

The Mutates had originated from animals that had undergone evolution due to the great change.

It was confirmed that they had the ability to reproduce, meaning the Mutates currently existing could be both first and second generation. Very little was known about their lifespans, so it was possible that some species had progressed to even further generations.

The Mutates retained very few of the characteristics of the creatures they had once been, and in case of the later generations, almost no similarity at all.

An organism that had evolved from, say, a tiger, could have been anything. It might have wings. Horns. Some form of electrical discharge.

With the current level of knowledge about their biology, it was no use trying to understand what they were capable of by studying their roots.

Instead, Mutates were considered entirely new species, and studied as they were.

There were several different, clearly defined species of them. All individuals of each species shared certain traits, but their behaviour could vary to an extent, and they could have slight differences in their powers.

Their abilities varied wildly from one species to another.

Mutates could be found in almost all kinds of environments. They were all carnivorous, meaning they fed on animals, humans, and on the Empowered.

Essentially, several new levels had been added to the food chain.

They were not numerous enough to replace all other forms of life.

But there were enough that the outside world was uninhabitable to humans.

Animals, of course, already existed in a world where everything was eaten by something else. They continued to exist, acclimating as best as they could to their new lives. Those who could not adjust died out, another chapter in the book of evolution.

Much of the studies into Mutates at Beacon focused on the different kinds of them, and how to deal with them.

They were all so different from each other, that one had to prepare specifically for whichever species of them they were about to hunt.

The method of killing them varied too.

In theory, they had the same weaknesses as all other animals.

Destroy a vital organ, and they die. Do irreparable damage to them, and they die.

Why was it so difficult to kill them, then?

Well, imagine this. You shoot a Mutate through the heart. There is a massive gaping hole through its chest. You think you have won.

But you did not consider that this particular species has _three_ hearts, and two of them are redundant organs, present as backup in case one is destroyed.

You also did not consider that this Mutate has high-speed regeneration that allows it to regrow an entire heart in seconds.

And finally, you did not consider that its claws and fangs were not its only weapon.

It penetrates you from fifty metres away, with an organic spike shot out of an opening that suddenly appears on its back.

You lie dying, not even able to report your findings back to humanity.

The Recruits learned with horror of the immense power of these monstrosities.

Qrow shared what was known about them, and taught them what he could about how to kill them.

It was an early stage in their instruction, but they had at least some idea of what they were up against now.

Some of the Recruits had seen Mutates before, but none truly knew the nature of these creatures.

Now, at long last, they were finally staring at their nightmares head-on.

It was a reminder of what they were tasked to do, and it motivated each of them to double their efforts.

It was after three solid months at Beacon, that the Recruits were given their first field mission.

**Chapter 1, Part 2: Acceptance/ A Warrior's Resolve**

"This is what you'll be hunting," said Qrow, tapping a button on the panel behind him, causing an image and data to appear on the screen.

The image was a photograph of a Mutate.

If one had to compare it to any animal, one would probably say it resembled a wolf. That is, until the person to them said it looked like a lizard.

Judging by the trees visible next to it in the picture, the beast was around nine feet long from snout to the sacral region around its hindquarters. Its tail was around five feet. Its body was lean, and covered in shiny scales like a reptile. Underneath this natural armour, the contour of powerful muscles were visible. Its build was lean, light in enough in proportion to its frame that it could move fast, and heavy enough that it wielded considerable power. Its head was the part that most closely resembled a wolf, with a skull shape and snout that looked canine.  
But that was where the similarities ended. Eight eyes gleamed like rubies on their face, blood-red. Its mouth was open, revealing that its jaw was not divided into two sections, but four, like an insect's mandibles. The inside of each section was lined with razor sharp teeth. The uncomfortably high resolution image showed chunks of flesh still stuck in them. The most frightening thing of all was its tongue. Barbed and several feet long, it extended from its mouth, curving like a snake. It was tipped like a spear, and dripping blood.

The Recruits felt fear grip them, as they recalled the first time Qrow had taught them about this species.

**Four weeks ago:**

"_What the hell kind of abomination…", muttered Weiss. She was disturbed enough that she had slipped out of her normally clean speech into curses._

"_This," said Qrow, "is a Spearwolf. Get a good look at those scales, because those things are tough. Don't even think small arms fire is going to get through. You want to watch out for its offence. It's fast, and strong. Those of you who aren't benching 10 tons, you don't want to grapple with it. And I know for a fact there are only two people here who can outrun it. So don't get close carelessly."_

_They listened intently. Looking at it, it was easy to see why trying to go toe-to-toe with it might be a horrible idea._

"_If you're within two metres feet of it, and in front, it's going to attack with its primary weapon, that tongue. Look, I'll say it outright. Do not try to block that thing. You'll fail horribly. Back in the day, when we were using tanks, I've seen them pierce right through chassis. There is no armour that you can move around in that can stop it. That's why it's called the Spearwolf. This piece of shit… is nature's finest melee infantry unit."_

"_That nightmare is the infantry?" said Blake, voicing everyone's thoughts._

"_That's right," said Qrow, looking her right in the eye. " A flexible spear that can change directions, cut and pierce, and be used to wrap around and crush prey, all from six and a half feet away. While the running and grappling speed and power of the Spearwolf is no joke, that tongue is on an entirely different level. It's faster than any of you can react to. Any of you."_

_He pointedly looked at Jaune as he said this._

_The boy clenched his teeth._

_Qrow's not a fool. He knows I hold back here. So he's saying, even if my reflexes are faster than what I've shown, I can't avoid that tongue. Fine. Point noted._

_Qrow continued._

"_If you are somehow able to avoid the tongue, it will attempt to slash you with its claws. Those trying to attack from the rear will be hit by the tail. That's its defence against getting taken from behind."_

"_Can it keep track of enemies behind it?" asked Neptune._

"_Yeah, it can. It's got no ears, but its sense of smell is sharp enough to pinpoint the exact locations of prey. And those eight eyes aren't for show either, so don't be caught napping in front of it."_

"_So," said Ren, choosing to break his silence, "We can't get close from the front or the back. It can fight and chase us down, and pierce through us from a distance. We can't hurt it with bullets, and it can track us by smell. How are we supposed to kill this thing?"_

_His voice remained calm as usual, but it was clear he was anything but._

_Qrow's voice was firm._

"_It's strong… but it's not unkillable."_

_The display switched to a diagram as he tapped the panel._

_The images were detailed drawings of its head, three of them, showing its surface, the likely structure of its cranium, and its brain inside._

"_It's weak here. As you can see, the head doesn't have that scale armour. Probably because they don't get anyone crazy enough to take 'em head on and risk getting run through by that tongue. Its skull is tough because of the greater bone thickness, but a bullet's going to get through anyway. Or anything that hits hard enough, really. My advice is to make sure you run it clean through, penetrate the brain. That'll kill it instantly. It's got other weaknesses too. This thing is not a regenerator type. If you manage to damage an organ, break a limb, it'll be weakened. Small arms fire might not phase it… but if you were to throw a girder at it…"_

_He looked at Pyrrha, who nodded. Her magnetism made her potentially the heaviest hitter out of all them._

"_It _can _be killed," said Qrow. "Stay at range and attack from there. Brain that son of a bitch before it can get close." _

**Present time:**

"You're all clear on the mission?" asked Qrow. As their chief Instructor, and a high ranking Eliminator, he would be overseeing this operation.

"Affirmative," said Pyrrha. "Enter the designated zone, and eliminate the Mutate population inside. We are to use any and all means to accomplish this task."

Qrow nodded.

"Obviously, collateral damage is not an issue. Go wild, and rip 'em to shreds. We chose the zone carefully: it's the territory of a pack of Spearwolves. Expected population is around a hundred. We'll drop you around 2 kilometres outside the designated zone. Proceed to the location on foot, and carry out the mission. Once you are done, radio for extraction, and wait for us to pick you up."

He did not mention it, but they were not to expect air support in carrying out the Elimination. While bombardment via Bullhead could certainly take care of Spearwolves, it would attract the attention of the massive aerial Mutates, who were designated as Class 1 threats. A single one of them could effortlessly annihilate a Bullhead, and everyone inside.

This was why aerial bombardment was never an option. It was a surefire way to sacrifice good warriors. Bullhead flights were to be kept as quick as possible, so most of the crafts were built for speed rather than firepower or durability. Their task was to drop operatives into the target zones, then bring them back to base, without attracting any Class 1 Mutates.

The team was equipped and ready for the mission, standing in front of Qrow.

_Mission 1: Destroy the Spearwolf Infestation._

_Team:  
Pyrrha Nikos- Field Captain  
Nora Valkyrie  
Lie Ren  
Jaune Arc  
Ruby Rose  
Blake Belladonna  
Weiss Schnee  
Yang Xiao Long  
Sun Wukong  
Neptune Vasilias  
Velvet Scarlatina  
Coco Adel  
Roman Torchwick  
Neopolitan_

Jaune checked his gear one last time, making sure everything was in order before he deployed.

_Jaune Arc: Eliminator, Recruit Class.  
Gear: Medium Armour.  
Headgear: Infrared and Scoped Sights.  
Primary Ranged Weapon: RZ-9 Semi Automatic Rifle utilizing heavy rounds.  
Secondary Ranged Weapon: "The Iron Death", spike-shooter.  
Primary Melee Weapon: Twin Gladii  
Secondary Melee Weapon: Hunting Knife_

He checked the sights and safeties on both his guns, and ensured his twin shortswords were properly holstered at his waist, ready to be quick-drawn. His knife was in a sheath attached to his left boot.

He had chosen this equipment carefully. The semi auto allowed him to control the rate of fire, had decent accuracy and good penetration with its shots. He would need to be in mid-range, which was good. He could additionally create an attack using his Abilities, which he would be able to launch from that distance. The spike-shooter was a one handed gun that did exactly what its name said. Out of all the secondary ranged weapons, it had the shortest range, and was also comparatively difficult to aim due to its weight and recoil. However, these factors did not matter to Jaune due to his strength and hand-eye coordination. In the event that a Mutate got within the range, a spike gave him the best chance of penetrating the brain with a single shot. The twin shortsword combo was probably his favourite. At Beacon, Recruits had to maintain their own weapons, and Jaune had taken the chance to modify the two gladii. The blades were now made of a new compound heavier than the steel normally used for swords. It was tougher too, to deal with this weight. Jaune's matter manipulation allowed him to craft steel that would be near-impossible to create by conventional means, and his modified twin swords had all the sharpness of a katana. With weight equal to battle-axes, combined with the cutting power of a katana, wielded with Jaune's strength, he was essentially swinging a guillotine, with all the nimbleness and flexibility of a dimachaerus. Finally, there was the trusty hunting knife. A reliable, tried and tested weapon to fall back on in a pinch.

Jaune had other things planned and ready too…

He was _ready_ for this.

Satisfied, he gripped his semi auto reassuringly.

"Well, well. You're looking like quite the Eliminator, aren't you?"

He turned to see that Roman Torchwick had approached him.

The boy's demeanour towards him had changed since Jaune had become ostracized by everyone else. Roman had gone back to being friendly towards him, in the weirdest show of camaraderie Jaune had ever witnessed. His logic, of course, was that "the cattle should die as fodder, while the wolves ruled". He had said as much to Jaune.

Since Roman was intimidating and hard to approach anyway, and was always with Neopolitan, who freaked most people out, his standing in the group hadn't really changed due to his association with Jaune.

"What do you want?" the blond asked.

Roman was armed only with a secondary ranged weapon, that being a .45 caliber handgun. For melee, he carried a staff the length and shape of a walking stick. Jaune knew it was heavier than it looked, and could be used effectively as a blunt weapon. It also had a hidden blade. Like himself, Roman also carried a hunting knife.

Interestingly, the orange-haired boy was a powerful fighter, and had won every single one of his bouts in combat classes, except for those against Jaune.

And those had all been ties.

Granted, Jaune had been holding back and not using his Ability, but he had still managed to win the blond's respect. He was experienced in actual life-or-death encounters, like Jaune himself.

"Oh, come on, Jauney boy. Let's skip the formalities, shall we?"

He leaned closer and whispered, and his voice had lost its levity. It was clear he was as tense as everyone else.

"_Look, you and I both know this is going to be an absolutely shitshow. They're all going to get murdered. Now how about you quit fucking around and join us already? Neo and I are planning on getting back here alive, and your help would make that a _lot _easier."_

Jaune paused. The seriousness of Roman's tone had convinced him to hear him out.

He whispered back, just as furiously.

"_They've been training for three months now, and we've learned about Spearwolves. We can handle this."_

"_Come on, Jauney, you're smarter than this. Yes, they've trained. Yes, they've got better. But they don't even know what it's like to kill. Before they kick into beast mode, they'll be dinner."_

"_Well, what the hell are you suggesting then?" _demanded Jaune furiously.

He looked at Qrow before continuing. It would _not_ be good if this conversation was overheard.

Roman spoke in a measured tone, careful for Jaune's reaction.

"_Nikos is a by-the-book leader. She's going to try to remain calm, but she won't know what to do. When the shit hits the fan, stay close to _us_. That's all I'll say for now."_

Jaune wanted to know more, but pressing the issue here would attract Qrow's attention.

He mentally swore.

Before he had time to think about it, the Bullhead's ramp lowered, and the team began to board. Jaune followed. Once he was on the aircraft, he looked at Qrow, and their eyes met. Distrust was written all over the older man's face.

Jaune glared right back, challenging him to do something about it.

The door closed, and the Bullhead rose off the ground.

As they flew, Jaune's thoughts were in turmoil.

This wasn't how he had planned it.

He was supposed to have no attachments. Nothing to hold him back.

Yet, he was in a position now where he had to choose between Roman, who had asked to ally with him even knowing he had his own agenda, and the rest of the team, who had tried to accept him as one of their own, until they had fallen out with him.

There was, of course, the third possibility.

The path he had truly wanted to take.

The one where his only concern would be to destroy every single Mutate in sight, and return to base.

He had not even considered that others might factor into that situation. Looking back, had he believed that everyone would be able to take care of themselves, leaving him free to do his own thing?

No, that wasn't true. He had known they would have to work together. He had even been ready to do so. He just didn't think he'd need to care about them as friends to do so.

But all that had fallen apart on that night.

The rest of the team did not trust him anymore.

He shouldn't feel any regret. They had made their choice. The fact that they had chosen to separate themselves from him should leave him free to run wild, and focus only on himself, and on killing Mutates. Free of guilt.

Why, then, did he feel this uncomfortable weight in his stomach, this tingling, nervous sensation in his heart?

Within minutes, they were approaching the target zone, a location around fifteen kilometres outside Vale's dome.

The area seemed to be the ruins of an old city. The houses were damaged, and the concrete was cracked, and the forest was starting to swallow the place up, covering it in vegetation, its roots spreading under the old structures, breaking the streets. Despite this, plenty of buildings were still standing.

This battlefield wasn't quite a jungle.

It wasn't quite urban.

It was both.

Jaune pulled his scoped sight back, positioning it on his forehead.

"This is as far as we can get you," said one of the crew members of the aircraft. "You'll have to jump. Remember, radio us if you get the job done. In case of an emergency, don't bother. Just fire a flare. Good luck."

Pyrrha nodded. Turning to the team, she spoke.

"We're getting off."

She strapped her hybrid weapon to the sheath hidden in her shield, and grabbed hold of the handle of her backpack. Taking a deep breath, she jumped.

They had practiced landings of this sort within Beacon, and she was ready for it.

Pulling on the backpack, she deployed her parachute, and the muffled sound of air flapping against the material was heard. One by one, the rest of the team leapt after her, each of them deploying their parachutes.  
The wind pulled them along, but they landed fairly close to each other.

Above them, in the Bullhead they had just jumped off, a certain Eliminator emerged from a hidden compartment.

"Captain," acknowledged the crew members.

Qrow had kept the fact that he would be accompanying the team a secret from them. They needed to be able to do this on their own, and he wouldn't reveal himself or intervene unless they lost control of the situation _completely_.

In addition, he also wanted to see whether Jaune was trustworthy. For that question to be answered properly, he had to observe the boy when he _didn't_ know he was being watched.

Qrow came to the hatch, and activated his cloaking device. While it certainly wouldn't hide from view in plain sight, on the ground, it was more than enough to make sure he would land unseen by any of the Recruits.

Pyrrha looked around, taking in her surroundings before activating her scoped and infrared sights, scanning the ruined cityscape up ahead in the distance.

"This… doesn't make any sense."

Around her, the others had similar looks of puzzlement on their faces.

"It's… empty?"

Pyrrha frowned.

"They might be hiding. We have to check the area."

Whatever bad feelings Jaune had instantly increased tenfold.

He shot a glance at Roman, who looked back at him with an expression that all but said, _I told you so._

Checking the area was a necessity. But it would mean walking blind into a location where Mutates could be hiding anywhere.

The team proceeded on foot to the ruins of the city, entering it soon enough. Once there, they decided to get to high ground to scope the place out.

Yang clenched her fists tighter.

Something about this whole situation didn't feel right to her. While she was a brawler by nature, she was no fool, and had properly read up on the creatures she was supposed to hunt. Spearwolves typically did not use ambush or stalking tactics. They were apex predators in their environment, and typically preferred to run down prey and pierce them with their tongue. Like their name suggested, they could be found living and working in packs, and their effectiveness and aggression increased manifold with others of their kind backing them up.

There was no reason for them to be hiding from them.

She wanted to voice that aloud. Pyrrha was smart, though, and probably already knew what she would have said.

But they couldn't abandon the mission halfway without ascertaining what exactly the situation here was.

The team stayed together.

The original plan had been to locate the targets, them take them down from afar. Ruby with her sniper rifle, and Pyrrha with her ability to use anything made of metal as a projectile would be the ones who would shoot them down, while the others would serve to protect the two of them and prevent the beasts from getting too close or blindsiding them. The Spearwolves would likely be spread out, so the team would split into two groups, one backing up each sniper as they rounded the Mutates off.

But given the unexpected situation, they were sticking together as one.

They checked from the highest rooftop they could reach, but could see no Spearwolves. It would have been pointless to check each street one by one. There was no pack here.

This was strange, because the entire place was marked with signs of their presence. Huge chunks of concrete gouged out, dried blood on the walls, overturned and smashed cars.

"Pyrrha," said Velvet nervously. "I don't think they're here. We should go back."

It was clear she was scared. The tension was thick enough now that you could cut it with a knife.

_Everyone_ knew something was wrong.

Ironically, they could not leave without confirming what that was.

It was Jaune who finally had enough, and decided to do something.

"I'm going down," he said.

Pyrrha wheeled around to glare at him sharply.

"You'll do no such thing!" she said.

"This is pointless," said Jaune. "We're wasting time, not to mention we're sitting ducks up here if something really is watching us."

The entire team looked at two of the best among them as they each stood their ground.

The general sentiment was against Jaune, but many realized he had a point.

"I'm going down," he said again.

"Stand down, soldier!" ordered Pyrrha.

Jaune glared back.

"You aren't being rational! We have to check-"

"Then we'll all check together," said the redhead, surprising him. "I can't allow you to go alone."

Jaune felt a wave of some emotion he couldn't identify, along with guilt.

The others all looked like they didn't like what they were about to do, but were determined anyway.

He glanced at Roman, who gave the barest hint of a nod. Next to him, Neo was eerily unreadable as always.

They proceeded to make their way down to street level.

What Jaune had been counting on was getting close enough to the blood on the walls to scan it with his power.

It took a little bit of walking before they found one such red patch.

"Wait here," he said, as he approached it.

"Jaune?" called Pyrrha. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. This entire situation was no longer under control. It made no sense to hide his powers at this point. He'd use them freely. Walking up to the blood, he reached out with his telekinetic field and examined its composition.

Almost immediately, he felt his alarm bells go off.

The speed with which he ran back to the group immediately had them all on alert.

"They're dead! The Spearwolves are all dead!" he yelled, unstrapping and gripping his gun as he ran over to them.

"What do you mean?" yelled Yang. She had her grenade launcher in hand, and was ready to activate the special function of her suit.

"That's not human or animal blood on the walls! It's Mutate blood!"

A chill ran down everyone's spines, and as one, they all drew their weapons.

Spearwolves had fierce pack loyalty. If you so much as scarred one member, the wrath of the entire pack descended on you.

So if something had killed one Spearwolf, and none of the beasts were anywhere in sight…

_It had killed all of them._

The only creature capable for certain of such a feat… was another, more powerful Mutate.

It was unusual for Mutates to clash with each other. Most of them were apex predators in their respective territories.

Jaune recalled everything he had studied about the various species of the creatures.

And he considered what he knew about the situation.

A hundred or so Spearwolves, meaning there was likely more than one pack. All wiped out, and with no trace of their bodies remaining, apart from blood.

It couldn't have been a drawn out fight.

Spearwolves were loyal, but sensible too. They would not fight a losing battle.

So, for them to have all been wiped out, the thing that did it must have chased each and every one down, and killed it.

For their to be no bodies, meant that it had consumed them.

There were several Mutates that fought and killed over territorial disputes.

There were even one or two that specifically hunted other Mutates.

But there was only _one_ known species that not only preyed on other Mutates, but was ruthless and cold-blooded enough to kill the entire population of an area, just to satisfy its own urges.

Jaune felt a chill run down his spine as the images of that particular creature flashed in his brain.

"_Liminal,"_ he whispered.

Everyone turned to him with looks of horror on their faces.

"Stay calm, damn it!" he said! "It's a Liminal."

No wonder this was the one creature that could drive its brethren to extinction.

It was theorized that Liminals had the ability to perceive the pain and fear of their victims, and derived pleasure from this. Some scientists believed this was due to some form of telepathy or empathy.

This was why they relished in killing, and killed not in the most efficient way, nor only for food.

They did it wantonly, constantly in possible, and in the most brutal ways they could.

They needed to stay calm. The thing was here. Liminals had no body heat, meaning they adjusted to ambient temperature. It was why the thermal imaging had failed to detect it.

It could be anywhere right now.

If it sensed their panic, it would attack.

"Shit, shit, shit," cursed Yang.

[OST: Doom- BFG Division]

That was the domino that set everything off.

As one, the team began to scramble, not really knowing what they were doing.

And then, the ground split open, with a tremor that toppled nearby wreckages of buildings.

_It was underground!_

The concrete was pushed aside as easily as water being parted, as the creature rose from the depths.

It resembled nothing so much as a gigantic floating ball of flesh, with a single, massive mouth on it. No eyes, no ears, nothing. And most disturbingly of all, that mouth seemed to be smiling.

_Liminal  
Mutate Species.  
Type: Non-mammalia/non-reptilian/?  
Danger rating: Class 1  
_  
A Class 1 monstrosity that was on the same level as the superbeasts that shot down Bullheads.

Pyrrha stared at the apparition, horrified.

Memories flooded her.

_Bodies punctured, perforated by air, as a massive mouth smiled gleefully._

The team looked at her, waiting for instructions, but she was paralysed in fear as the past trauma surfaced.

"Captain!" shouted Ren.

Pyrrha blinked, but couldn't bring herself to move.

She wanted to, but her legs were frozen.

_Is this… how I'm going to die?_

No one moved.

Their training hadn't prepared them for this encounter. Not this early. In fact, there was no known record of a human, mutant or Empowered _ever_ defeating a Liminal.

Jaune stared at the beast. He could feel the fear as well, but he drowned it out through sheer force of will, as he entered the cold state of mind he had entered many times in the past.

He felt a hand grasp his shoulder, and turned to see Roman right behind him.

Like him, he too seemed in control of himself.

"_We have to leave, now. We can't take that thing on."_

"_If we run now, it's going to chase."_

"_No it won't,"_ said Roman. "_Not the two of us, or Neo. We have our fear under control, don't we? And there's another, larger source of horror for it to feed off of, right here."_

Jaune's eyes widened.

Roman was suggesting they use the rest of the team as bait to draw off the Liminal while they escaped.

"You fucking asshole," the blond growled, his voice rising above a whisper.

"Hey, I do what it takes to survive," said Roman, not scared in the least. "And I look after my own. Neo… and now you. Don't spit on it, you little piece of shit, I'm trying to keep the three of us alive. If some others have to die for that… well, that's a price I'm willing to pay."

This unexpected pronouncement hit Jaune hard.

Roman and Neo could have bailed at the first sign of the Liminal, but they wanted to take Jaune with them, and had thus stayed.

The blond hated the fact that they had not batted an eyelid at the thought of sacrificing the rest of the team.

But he also recognized that they had chosen him, chosen not to abandon him. No matter how warped their reason for doing so was, he couldn't overlook that.

And so, he couldn't bring himself to strike Roman, or even hate him.

Before he could decide what to do, a loud scream rang out.

Jaune wheeled around to see Yang pull the trigger on her grenade launcher.

The projectile flew right at the Liminal, detonating with an explosion that hid the creature from view.

For a split second, nothing happened.

Then the smoke cleared, revealing the Mutate to be completely unharmed. Its smile had grown though. It now looked like a taunting leer.

"MOVE!" shouted Jaune.

His voice managed to shake everyone into action, and they all leapt, instinctively, Yang grabbing Pyrrha by the scruff of her armour to drag her away.

They were just in time.

A second later, something slammed into the ground with enormous force, denting and cracking the concrete, without throwing up any rubble.

Jaune immediately recognized how the Liminal had done it.

The lack of flying debris and dust had shown that the force was perfectly uniform. Jaune had seen this effect many times before, when he himself had caused it.

_The Liminal's power is telekinesis._

It became clear why they were so feared throughout nature. With telekinesis that powerful, and with that much range… it could rip whatever it wanted apart, with ease. That's why it had no limbs. It didn't need any.

But if that was true, it could reach out and grab them at any time. The fact that it had instead chosen to lash out with a strike couldn't be random.

At least, Jaune hoped not.

His theory was quickly put together, and he was trusting it on instinct.

But a slim chance of survival was better than none.

"Take cover!" he yelled. "Get behind something! Anything! Something big and tough!"

The team heard, and they all scattered as they ducked behind buildings and cars.

Not a moment later, more waves of force lashed out, smashing into the objects they were hiding behind.

They crumbled, but held,

Jaune felt elation and relief at the same time.

His guess was right.

Telekinesis could be free form, like Jaune's. He could use his as a sensory field, as a force in any direction, or even as invisible limbs.

On the other hand, it could be rigid.

In the Liminal's case, it appeared it was unable to change the shape of its telekinetic influence. It would always lash out like invisible limbs.

Like tentacles.

That meant it could not grab them out of nowhere. It could indeed grip them, but it needed to wrap its telekinetic tentacles around them to do so. It also meant he could use a field to sense them.

It was also why its attacks had narrowly missed.

It was using its empathy, or whatever mechanism it had that allowed it to detect fear, panic and pain, and using it to track them.

What it lacked in pinpoint accuracy, however, it made up for with relentlessness.

It pounded away, demolishing the team's hiding places within seconds forcing them to run and find other cover.

"We can't keep this up!" shouted Nora. "It'll tear this city apart and crush us!"

Jaune turned from his position behind an overturned car, looking at Roman and Neo, who were across the street from him, behind large pieces of debris.

He could see the silent plea in their eyes.

They were scared too, but were keeping it in check.

They wanted to get out of here, but wouldn't leave without him.

They had no reason to risk their lives for the rest of the team, and Jaune realized he could not fault them for this.

He had already showed them how to avoid its attacks. Theoretically, if they fired a signal flare, they might be able to run from cover to cover until they got a Bullhead and escaped.

If that was the course of action they took, then it would be up to every single one of them to keep up. If they fell behind, no one could be blamed.

Casualties happened in war.

_Why then?_

_Why do I feel this guilt?_

_Why can't I leave them behind?_

[OST: DMC 5- Resolve]

He looked at all, trying their hardest to stay alive, crouching, desperately covering up behind whatever they could find, even as the Liminal slowly advanced.

Ruby. A 21 year old who behaved like a child at times. She could be loud and over-energetic, talkative and annoying. She was obsessed with weapons, and overly attached to anime. But somehow, that very nature, that Jaune found irritating, somehow seemed endearing in that moment.

Yang. A brash loudmouthed brawler. A shameless flirt who got pissed easy and had too high an opinion of herself. Yet, no one could deny that she genuinely cared about the rest of the team. Looking back, Jaune noted that she had been the first to bring everyone together, and even now, was the glue that held them that way.

Pyrrha. The girl who tried so hard to be the best she could, always hiding her own fears, her own insecurities. Seeing her break down the way she had moments ago reminded Jaune that she was mortal too. And she had refused to let Jaune go alone, even after everything.

There were Roman and Neo. Outcasts among the Recruits. Their morals were ambiguous at best, non-existent at worst. But they had accepted Jaune. From the very start, they had asked him to join them. No matter what was wrong with them, Jaune couldn't judge.

And there was everyone else.

One by one, as he looked at them all, he slowly realized consciously what his heart had always known.

_He cared about them._

He didn't know how it had happened.

He didn't know why.

But he knew one thing.

"I'm not letting anybody here die," he said.

He looked at the Liminal. It could react not just to panic, fear and pain, but to aggression as well. That was how it had known Yang was attacking, and used its telekinetic limbs to shield itself.

In a direct battle of telekinetic power, Jaune couldn't beat it.

But he _could _kill that Mutate.

He turned to Neo and Roman again.

"Hey. What're your names?"

Roman looked for a moment actually flabbergasted, before he actually shouted.

"You fucking idiot! I've told you already!"

"No, that doesn't count. I didn't give a shit that time. Right here, right now. _This is our introduction._ So I'll ask again: what are your names?"

Roman looked like he was struggling to not throw something at Jaune, but finally, a grin came over his face.

"Roman fucking Torchwick, you blond piece of shit! Don't forget it! And this girl here is Neopolitan. Better not forget that either, or I'll kick your ass!"

Jaune grinned.

"I see. I'm Jaune Arc. Son of the Arc family. Youngest of eight siblings, and I'm the black sheep. Pleased to meet you. All of you."

He had already calculated what he would need to do.

He wasn't one hundred percent proficient at the multitasking he had been working on, but he'd risk it.

He surveyed the path he'd need to take.

[DMC 5 OST: Voltaic Black Knight]

Gun ready, he vaulted over the car he had been crouching behind, firing two shots at the Liminal before immediately diving forward low, barely going under its swiping tentacle.

He transitioned into a roll and came to his feet right next to the car Yang and Pyrrha were behind.

"Jaune, what the-"

Ignoring the blonde brawler, he swiped up Pyrrha's shield from her weak grasp, and took a step forward, planting his feet firmly and bending his knees. He raised the shield high.

A moment later, the telekinetic limb smashed into it.

But Jaune's physical strength was _not_ to be underestimated. The impact slid him back an inch, but no more than that, and he held firm, not hurt in the least. He had stopped the swing, and protected the car Pyrrha and Yang were behind.

No sooner had he blocked the impact than he slid Pyrrha's hybrid weapon out from its sheath, transforming it into its rifle form, which he fired one handed, right at the beast's mouth.

As soon as he had pulled the trigger, he pressed the switch that transformed it into spear form, allowing it to spin in his hand so that its head was pointed forward. Rising tall from his crouch, he hurled the weapon in one smooth movement.

This entire sequence of moves was performed in less than two seconds after he had shielded against the Liminal's blow, giving the beast very little time to react.

And the downside of overwhelming power… was that the Mutate had forgotten what it was like to go from hunter… to hunted.

The spear tore into its flesh, embedding itself deep inside, causing it to utter an inhuman howl of agony.

Jaune wasn't done.

He had no sure idea of this thing's anatomy, meaning there was only one surefire way to kill it for certain.

He dashed forward, sprinting faster than the eyes of his fellow Recruits could track, besides Ruby.

As he passed by the debris Ren and Nora were behind, he flipped sideways onto his hands.

In his panic, Ren had dropped his twin pistol/ blade hybrid, and Jaune gripped the paired weapon in one smooth weapon as he completed the flip and landed on his feet, continuing his forward dash as though he had never interrupted it.

As he neared the Liminal, he knew it was about to try to slam him with its invisible limbs. He leapt into the air, hoping he was moving in the right direction.

He sailed upwards, even as the ground cracked where he had been less than a second ago.

He had successfully avoided its swipes, and moved into critical range.

He turned over in mid-air, head pointed downwards, arms extended, both of Ren's guns aimed at the Liminal, as he went into a corkscrew spin, holding the trigger down.

He descended like a spinning demon, raining bullets down on his foe.

Right as he was in reach, he broke out of the spin, flipping over and using his momentum to slash the creature brutally with the hilt-blades.

As the metal tore through his skin, Jaune deployed his telekinetic field and scanned the thing's body.

It was a carbon, oxygen and hydrogen based organism, which was already good news.

Better still, it had a recognizable, brain, a heart, a stomach, lungs, and several other organs Jaune could make out right away.

This was already enough.

He had already won.

Regenerator Mutates could regrows lost organs and limbs, and come back from any injury, as long as the brain was still alive and intact. In the few seconds before consciousness faded, it would already have regenerated, avoiding death.

Undying, or "zombie" types, as they were called, on the other hand, either did not possess a brain, or could function without one, continuing to display aggressive behaviour even after their grey matter was ruined.

Jaune didn't know if the Liminal had either of those two properties. But it didn't matter.

He located the lungs. Considering the size of the creature, there was a considerable amount of oxygen in there. He emptied every last molecule of that compound, and carried it directly to its brain, which of course, had plenty of glucose going there.

"Yippie kay yay, motherfucker."

Fun fact: glucose+oxygen= carbon dioxide plus water. Catalyst used: molecular telekinesis.

_By-products: heat and light._

Jaune flipped off the Liminal's body just as the brain-bomb detonated, utterly annihilating every last ounce of the Mutate, scattering chunks of flesh and blood everywhere.

He corkscrewed once more in mid air, even as the force of the blast pushed him further away, riding the momentum gracefully, until he landed flawlessly on his feet, not even looking back at the destruction he had just wrought.

"Well, that's that", he said. "You guys all right?"

He felt slightly awkward. Just hours ago, he had been on pretty bad terms with the team. He didn't really know how he was supposed to change that, or if it even would change. But he was happy they were all safe, and that was more than enough.

None of them replied, all of them staring at him with wide eyes.

Jaune felt even more uncomfortable now.

"Hey. You're not catatonic, are you?"

As usual, he defused tension by reverting to some form of logic.

His usual blunt manner of speech seemed to break them out of their trance.

"It's still him, huh? It was really him," said Yang. "He still talks like an asshole and everything."

"Hey," Jaune protested.

But it was soon clear that Yang was trying to calm herself down after what she had witnessed.

"But I mean, you all saw that, right? He just killed it. Killed a Class 1 Mutate. Alone."

She seemed dazed, trying to come to terms with what she had seen.

"Jaune," said Ruby softly. "How did you…?"

Jaune glanced at Pyrrha.

She was staring at him, eyes wide and slightly moist.

Far from the perfect front she always put up.

Destroying the Liminal had broken her out of her frozen state. Jaune didn't really know her history, but he realized this was a hard time for her. She could do with something he had hadn't had: support.

"I lied," he replied simply. "Well, it was a lie of omission more than anything. But my Ability isn't what you all think. It's telekinesis. It'd take a long time to explain properly, but here's the bottom line: I can manipulate matter. What I did just now was cause a chemical reaction inside its body. You all saw the result."

He hesitated, and took a deep breath, before looking Pyrrha in the eye.

She stared right at him, the intensity in that gaze shaking him.

He hadn't expected that kind of emotion.

She was listening intently, and that look spoke volumes about how much effect it had on her that he had been able to defeat the cause of her trauma.

Perhaps a more mature, open Jaune would have been able to properly comfort her.

But he didn't know how, so he did what he knew, and stumbled on in his own way.

"Humans aren't weak. Yeah, we're delicate. We break easy, and we don't live long. But… I think that's what makes us strong. Because we can feel pain, we struggle to survive. We struggle to live. And we overcome the odds. We are not so different, all of you… and I."

He wanted to say more. Say that they too could do what he did.

Overcome the odds, and slay their demons.

But this was Jaune, and this was his first time opening up to anyone in a long time.

It would take a while, and this was good enough as a first step.

He looked at them all for a minute longer, before turning away.

"You should radio the Bullhead to come pick us up, Captain."

With that, he walked away, hoping to re-centre himself and come to terms with his newly acknowledged bond with his teammates.

A hundred or so metres away, Qrow dropped his sniper rifle.

"Well, I'll be damned."

When the Liminal had shown up, he had all but given up hope. His couldn't activate his Ability on the scale needed to kill a beast like that, not with the Recruits in the vicinity.

His hexes would alter occurrences to harm people. He liked to think of it as giving people bad luck.

Really bad luck.

It was completely possible that that luck would be bad enough for the Liminal to somehow kill itself.

But deploying his power on that scale would also envelop his students in its influence, killing them all.

That left him with only one option: rush in there and attempt to beat that thing with his weapons and skills. He knew he couldn't do it. But he had to try.

But before he could even fire a shot or attempt to get close, Jaune had attacked.

It was like nothing he had ever seen.

_That kid… what the hell is he?_

In a fight against a Class 1 Mutate, a title reserved for civilization ending calamities, _Jaune_ was the monster.

That combination of strength, speed, violent intent, skill, accuracy, coordination, and perfect decision making… was inconceivable.

Each of those components by itself might not have been enough.

But combined as one… they made the perfect warrior.

And then there was his Ability.

His true power.

A power that had made bloody chunks out of one of the most feared organisms known to humankind.

Qrow opened his flask and took a long drink.

It was half in celebration, half in trepidation.

_Of course, we had to get someone who can turn the tide._

_And of course, he has to be a problem case._

That evening, Jaune took a long shower. He could actually clean himself using his Ability, and done so after blowing up the Liminal. But a part of him still craved the satisfaction of actually scrubbing himself, and so, he felt much better after spending several minutes under the drizzle, thoroughly applying soap and washing himself.

When he was done, he turned the shower off and toweled himself dry.

He had brought a fresh pair of boxers into the bathing area with himself, and put it on before walking out of the stall into the common part of the facility.

Here, he spent some time checking his reflection in the mirror, satisfying himself that he had washed off every last bit of Liminal's remnants from himself (although he knew quite well that he had gotten rid of it all long ago). He swept back his hair, noting that it was about time he cut it short again, and prepared to go back to the living quarters, when the door opened behind him.

In the mirror, he saw the reflection of a certain busty blonde.

She seemed like she had come in to shower as well, and was dressed only in a pair of shorts and a far too revealing top.

Jaune made to leave.

"Didn't know you were coming in," he said, looking to excuse himself.

Before he could step past her, she placed a hand on his chest, stopping him.

"That's okay. I wanted to talk to you," she said.

Jaune wasn't sure what to make of this.

Still, Yang seemed far more subdued than usual, and he felt she really did need to say something.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked finally.

"When you killed that thing today," she began, hesitating slightly. She shook her head and tried again, stronger.

"When you killed that thing today, was it just because you wanted to kill it? Was there a part of you that cared at all that if you hadn't been there, we would all have died?"

She already knew the answer to that question.

She could vividly remember Jaune blocking that thing's invisible attack, the reverberation of Pyrrha's shield as he protected the redhead and herself from it.

A part of her hated this, because it meant she had been wrong.

That she had misjudged him.

She hated being wrong.

And even more than that, she hated being the reason someone was pushed aside and left alone, though he was as much one of them as anyone.

But outweighing her guilt was an overpowering, empowering sense of joy.

He _wasn't_ an asshole.

No, so much more than that, he was a good guy.

Yang wasn't a big believer in words. Actions spoke louder to her.

And Jaune's actions today had told her all she needed to know about him.

So she didn't really need to hear him say anything.

So why was she here then?

She couldn't really find any justification for it, aside from the fact that she wanted to see him.

Just the two of them, away from everyone else.

She wanted a moment like that with him.

Jaune's voice was slightly dry, but it didn't waver.

"I didn't want you to die. Any of you. That's all."

Yang smiled slightly.

"I see."

Jaune had said that words without any other meaning attached to them. Belatedly, she realized that despite having hidden so much about himself from them, he had never tried to pretend to be a person he was not.

It wasn't that he didn't want any friends. Wasn't that he thought himself better than everyone else.

He spoke unassumingly and bluntly because he was resigned.

Resigned to being alone.

Exactly how he had been when he had first come here.

Exactly how Yang had left him that night, three months ago.

Her smile faded.

Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, and in spite of her formidable self control, her eyes felt moist.

"Jaune? I'm sorry."

The boy looked genuinely puzzled at this statement.

"For what?" he asked.

"A lot of things," she answered, voice breaking further.

Jaune seemed troubled by the fact that she was crying, and didn't seem to know what to do about it. In any other situation, Yang might have thought it was adorable how he looked completely out of his element.

Finally, he settled on awkwardly reaching out and patting her head briefly.

For some reason, Yang felt her heart skip a beat at the contact.

"Don't be sorry," he said. "That was before. This is now. We can be different from who we were then, right?"

As he withdrew his hand, his fingers brushed gently against her cheek, unintentionally.

The brawler felt her face heat up.

"Well, I'll be in the other room, all right? See you around."

With that, he left.

Minutes after he was gone, Yang reached up and felt the place where his fingers had brushed against her.

It took a moment before she realized what was going on.

She had really thought the first boy she'd fall for would be a perfect ten on her own subjective checklist.

Never in her wildest dreams had she thought it would be an awkward, dorkish loner who could slay monsters. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note (IMPORTANT, Please read): So, the events of this chapter might be in a slightly different direction than what many of you are expecting. Please do not be alarmed, and be patient. The story has a loooooong way to go.**

**Now, a lemon does happen in this chapter. It's mentioned in the fic summary, but if that's still not your thing, then maybe it'll be in your interest to skip. I haven't included spoiler tags, because I think that'll work against the immersion. I also recommend not skipping the lemon if you're okay with it (no dirty innuendos meant), because it directly affects the plot moving forawrd.**

**And finally: a lot of you though Yang would be the first route, huh? ;)**

**Anyway, here we go.**

**Chapter 4: Complete Opposite**

Life went on. It has a habit of doing so. Regardless of your big win, or your huge defeat, it goes on. You either keep pace, and keep up, or you fall behind, and it continues without you. That was why Jaune never spent too long dwelling on things that had happened. It was why he was currently in the physical training area of Beacon, adding plates of weight to a reinforced alloy bar with a diameter of three inches, meant to be a supporting rod in armoured vehicles, and not a barbell. But when your gym doesn't have heavy enough weights, you improvise.

"Are… are you sure about this?"

"Positive."

Jaune rubbed chalk over his hands, slapped his face a few times, and walked over to the bar.

"Jaune, I don't think this is safe…"

The redhead named Pyrrha was looking apprehensively at the amount of weight on the bar. Not only was it every plate in the training area, but Jaune had draped the chains over both ends as well. Given that these weights were meant for superhuman training in the first place, this setup already weighed a staggering 100 tons, the upper limit of what Beacon allowed within the facility for resistance training. But Jaune knew for a fact that the Institute kept a margin for error that was double what they told the Recruits. He knew this because he had scanned the floor, the beams and the walls. And so, he had asked Pyrrha to add more force for him to strive against, by using her magnetism to push the weight downwards.

"Literally nothing we do here is safe," Jaune replied. "We're a bunch of 20 year old societal rejects who should be in jail or huffing paint thinner somewhere. But, mankind, being the race of utter fuck-ups it is, saw fit to put the responsibility of its survival on us. Which is why I'm doing military presses. Now push that damned weight down."

The tone in his voice left no room for agreement. So, ignoring the warnings in her mind, Pyrrha applied just a touch of her power to the bar, making it fractionally more difficult to lift.

To her utter surprise, Jaune grasped the bar, bent down at the hips and knees, adjusted his position a bit, then stood up tall, ripping the entire bar and everything attached to it clean off the ground. With another explosive movement, he jerked it up to his shoulders, and got his palms and elbows under it, setting up for the presses.

Pyrrha's mouth opened slightly.

Pressing down against him as she was with her magnetism, she could feel the resistance his body offered.

It was like trying to push a building down with your bare hands.

"You can do better than that, Pyrrha", the blond said.

More confident now that she had felt what he was capable of, she pressed down harder, gradually increasing the resistance bit by bit, until she was actually exerting a decent amount of effort.

"That's it. Perfect."

Jaune kept his core tight throughout, and took a deep breath, pushing the weight up, till his arms were straight above his head. Then he lowered it back down slowly, maintaining his form. He could feel his muscles straining, the fibres struggling to do what was being demanded of them.

_Ah yes. I'll be taking those gains, thank you._

He pounded out rep after rep, going all the way to nine, at which point his arms and shoulders were burning, and his core was struggling to maintain proper position. With a massive effort, he forced out one more rep, making sure to not let his back hyperextend, keeping the form correct. When he was done, he lowered the weight first to shoulder level, then to his hips, and finally placed it down on the ground with a controlled movement instead of dropping it.

Pyrrha, who had never let up on the force she was applying, finally released her Ability's hold on the heap of metal. By the end, she was applying twice the amount of power she had used during the Test's first challenge, meaning Jaune must have been pressing the equivalent of around 148 tons, give or take, by her reckoning.

"Just how much do you hold back all the time?" she muttered.

He looked up and met her eyes. Then, maybe because of the high from the pump, or maybe because he had opened up more since the Liminal incident, he winked.

"A fair bit," he said, before walking away.

"Wait!" Pyrrha said. She wasn't done talking to him. "Where are you going?"

He answered without turning around.

"Push day. Hit pecs and delts already. Gotta smash the triceps too, so I'm going to do some skullcrushers. Wanna help out? Might get some work in for your magnetism."

Pyrrha felt a bead of sweat roll down her face.

"_Relentless" might be understating it._

Jaune did indeed proceed to skullcrushers, and even overhead extensions, doing a total of six sets before calling it a day.

Pyrrha chose to help out with those exercises too, and by the time they were done, even with her formidable powers, she was feeling slightly taxed. Apart from testing how much force she could apply, it was also a challenge for her to control her power, and not overdo it. As incredible as it sounded, this ended up being a good workout for her as well.

As the two of them drank water and rested, the electronic bell rang, signalling the end of this training period. The instructor, who was playing more of an overseer role today, seeing as everyone was doing their own thing, spoke out.

"Take a ten minute break, then move on to Mutate Studies in Room 73."

The redhead breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had adjusted to a large extent to the Beacon lifestyle, it was still incredibly challenging. Right about now, she could do with the chance to catch her breath (and maybe take a shower, she thought). She was sweating quite a bit, and probably smelled. As a matter of fact, she was very aware that the person next to her on the bench was also sweating. Jaune normally a wore a simple pair of shorts and a loose vest while training, which left his arms bare, showing off thick muscle that rippled with every movement. The cut of the vest also exposed the striations on his chest, and large parts of his wide back. Unlike a lot of built guys Pyrrha had seen before in Mistral, he had well built, tree trunk legs as well, giving his body a sense of proportion and balance. Right now, sweaty as he was, he proceeded to take his vest right off, and start to towel himself dry.

Pyrrha felt her breath catch slightly.

_A-abdominals… and obliques…_

He continued to dry himself, not seeming to be bothered in the least that a girl was right next to him, or the effect his current state of dress (or lack thereof) was having on her. There was a slight sheen of sweat on him even after he was done, and Pyrrha could smell a raw, but not unpleasant scent, which was doing funny things to her in a special place.

Jaune finally turned to look at her, and was surprised to see her panting heavily, her cheeks flushed.

"Hey, Pyrrha. You okay?" he sounded worried, and reached out a hand to feel her temperature, causing her to yelp lightly and back away.

He raised an eyebrow at the reaction, which caused her to blush even more.

"Oh… sorry. I'm…" she paused and breathed deeply. "... just tired. That session was more _intense_ than I thought it would be."

Jaune nodded, as if that cleared everything up.

"Ah, yeah. I completely get what you mean."

_No you don't, you poor, oblivious, _complete snack, _you._

Before she could go against her better judgment and say some of the things on her mind, a blur entered the scene out of nowhere, and quickly attached herself to Jaune.

"Hey, Jaune! Good work out there. That was what, a hundred tons? Sheesh, you've got no chill, have you? Still, I'm not complaining."

In complete contrast to Pyrrha, Yang proceeded to check Jaune out from top to bottom right in front of him, not even trying to be subtle about it.

The boy rolled his eyes. This was pretty much an everyday occurrence by now, and as a result had lost its ability to fluster him in the least.

"Hi, Yang," he deadpanned. "Nice to see you're in a good mood today."

"Whatchu talking about, Mr Arc? I'm always in a good mood. Hard not to be with you around."

She leaned in suggestively as she said this, her face inches from Jaune's, and her voice a sultry half-whisper.

Since the whole incident with the first mission, the brawler's behaviour towards Jaune had done a complete 180 turn. To be fair, everyone had realized he wasn't a bad guy, and he had followed this up by no longer being quite so antisocial. As for Yang, she had not only gotten over whatever reservations she had about him, she was being bolder than ever in giving him her attentions.

_Not surprising_.

Pyrrha had known from day one that Yang was interested in him. Now that the obstacle of him being an asshole had proved to be non-existent, there was nothing preventing her from going all-out in her efforts to get him to herself.

That in itself was not a big deal.

But the fact was, it was actually working.

Despite Jaune not responding in a suggestive way to her advances, he was definitely talking to her. He did it a lot. In fact, the two golden-haired Recruits were almost inseparable, and though Jaune would never admit it aloud, Pyrrha could see that he genuinely did enjoy spending time with her. Almost imperceptibly, his face and eyes would light up whenever she approached him. Her antics would make him smile, and she was even able to get him to engage in her own brand of humour based on awful puns.

If Pyrrha really thought about it, the compatibility of these two was amazing.

Jaune was serious and focused, intelligent and skilled at what he did. But he ended up alienating himself, and had a hard time expressing his feelings. It was very likely he might inadvertently find himself in need of help, but unable to ask for it.

Yang, on the other hand, was boisterous, energetic, and fun, while also being good at her job. While she could be undisciplined and messy at times, she had enough positivity and faith for two people, making her perfect for Jaune: the light to his dark. Or, as she might say, the Yang to his Yin.

Pyrrha groaned inwardly.

The mere fact that she had made that joke, that she had thought that joke, showed how pervasive the maverick Xiao Long's influence was.

No wonder the girl had been able to slowly but surely find her way into Jaune's heart.

The thought left Pyrrha's chest feeling tight, left her with an unpleasant sinking feeling.

Even now, as she watched the two of them start to banter back and forth, she already felt left out.

She couldn't even think of a way to join in the conversation.

As confident and positive as the redhead was herself, she was anything but forceful as a person, something that had always led to her allowing the chips to fall where they may, when it came to relationships.

It was why she had ended up a loner as a teen, despite having all the qualities any young girl would want to possess.

Shaking her head, she got up and left, the elation of her session with Jaune drowned out already.

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"... no, really, though. I'm pretty sure I could knock you out if I drank rocket fuel instead of Bullhead fuel."

"Rocket fuel doesn't exist anymore, since none of the Settlements have the resources to waste on attempting space travel. Also, it doesn't matter what you drink. You can't knock me out."

A lewd smile made its way onto Yang's face.  
"Aha! Maybe not. But I can think of _other_ ways to get physical."

She winked suggestively.

Jaune sighed and got up.

"Yeah, real funny. Come on, we better move. Can't be late for Mutate Studies."

He looked around, and was surprised to see that Pyrrha was missing.

The redhead had been an incredible workout partner, and he'd wanted to invite her to do this again next time, maybe even make this a regular thing, if she was okay with it.

"Where's Pyrrha?" he asked aloud.

Yang shrugged.

"Think she left a while back. Getting back to the topic at hand though: you and me…"

"Very funny, Yang. Come on."

With that, he began to head out, leaving Yang scrambling to catch up.

"Hey, hold on!"

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The rest of the lessons that day went smoothly, but Pyrrha's spirits remained low. When she returned to the living quarters, she went and sat alone on her bunk, not quite in the mood to join everyone else in having fun.

"Hey, what's up, Pyr?"

She looked up to see a familiar duo.

"Nora? Ren? What do you want?"

The normally hyperactive girl shrugged.

"You looked like you were kind of down. And… we're friends, right? So I thought, maybe we could help you be, you know, not down."

Her words managed to bring a momentary smile on Pyrrha's face.

"I appreciate the effort, Nora, but it's okay. I'm fine."

"You don't seem fine though. At all. You can tell us what's wrong, you know."

The redhead hesitated. Nora and Ren were the closest to her out of all the Recruits, and they spent most of their time together.

_At the very least, I'm not alone anymore._

But she still felt unsure about talking to them regarding this. She was so inexperienced when it came to this aspect of life, she wasn't even sure how to explain it. And though they'd never laugh at her, she was still shy about the whole matter, and it would be embarrassing to come right out and tell them.

The deciding factor came when Ren chose this moment to make one of his rare contributions to a conversation.

"Three heads might be better than one. And sometimes, having a different perspective on a problem can help. I speak from experience."

Pyrrha had to admit, he had a point. She took a deep breath.

"Well, you see…"

She proceeded to explain her situation to the two of them, making sure to keep her voice low so that no one would overhear them. As expected, both of them listened with attention, never laughing or making her feel uncomfortable.

"... and that's what's happening. I… I just don't know what to do. It's obvious he likes her. And I just can't compete with her. I can't do the things she can. Just enter a scene and make him look at me. How am I supposed to win against that?"

By the end, the desperation and sadness she was feeling had entered her voice, causing Nora's expression to soften considerably. The electrifying orange head reached out a hand and cupped her cheek gently.

"Oh, Pyrrha. Your situation is far from hopeless. I can tell you one thing for sure: you have everything you need to make _any_ guy like you. Including Jaune."

"R-really?"

Nora nodded reassuringly.

"Absolutely. The fact that he hasn't noticed is, well…"

They all turned to look at Jaune, who was playing Tekken on the Playstation Sun had had mailed over to Beacon.

"...for fuck's sake, this combo is impossible! I can get 4 Electric WInd God Fists, but the 5th one always whiffs!"

The normally implacable blond broke into a string of expletives as he mashed away at the controller, encouraged by the other boys.

Nora turned back to Pyrrha.

"You get the picture, right?"

Pyrrha smiled slightly.

"Be honest," said Nora. "That dorkish side of him makes you want him, doesn't it?"

The redhead turned to look at her in surprise.

"How did you…"

"Well, it's easy," said Nora. "Can you imagine what he'd be like if he _didn't_ have that side of him?"

Jaune in his free time was not a guy who always trained. He did occasionally take time off to do other stuff, and didn't hide his hobbies. The fact was, he was a massive, and unapologetic nerd.

80s mangas with impossibly manly protagonists, the Die Hard series of movies (which he kept quoting after landing convincing hits in training or battle, like a complete ass), and a massive collection of heavy metal and modern pop music that did not belong in a playlist together.

Thinking of a Jaune who was a perfect warrior, and also cold, calculating, mechanically polite, and a so called "ideal" companion.

Pyrrha shuddered.

It was a horrible, forced caricature of perfection, and she was glad Jaune wasn't that way.

She was glad he could be an incredible fighter, but also a stereotypical gym bro. That he could be an amazing tactician and warrior, but also a complete fucking ass who boasted about being good at video games to a roomful of people who were only casual players. She liked that he seemed to take himself so seriously, and the way so many people were breaking down that wall of his, showing his wonderful, flustered side as he tried to figure out how to interact with people.

And behind all that awkwardness, she was glad he really did care.

"You realize it, don't you, Pyrrha? Perfection is boring. That's why Yang has such an easy time getting his attention."

Nora's words slowly sunk in.

"Perfection is boring?"

Nora nodded.

"I know how hard you try to be strong, Pyrrha. And while that's a worthy goal, you don't have to force yourself to be the perfect girl. You don't have to be nice all the time. It's okay to want someone, and to give it an honest try to make them notice you."

"Yes," said Pyrrha, with growing confidence. "Yes, yes. That's exactly right. I've been too nice all the time."

Nora's eyes widened in alarm.

"Wait no, that's not what I-"

But Pyrrha wasn't listening anymore.

She took the orange haired girl's hands.

"Thank you, Nora," she said sincerely. "You've helped me realize what I must do now. You really are a good friend. Both you and Ren. I won't forget. If there's anything I can do to help you two, just let me know."

"Yes, okay, but-"

"And now, I must go. I've got some preparations to make."

Before either of them could say anything to stop her, she was gone, leaving a dust cloud in her wake.

"Ren? What have we inadvertently released?"

"I'm not sure. And I'm not entirely sure I want to find out."

As it turned out, they were about to find out, the next day.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jaune woke up well rested. That workout really had been amazing.

"Hell yeah," he said softly.

He'd have to remember to talk to Pyrrha about becoming his gym partner, because more sessions like this sounded amazing.

Getting off his bunk, he stretched, then decided to head to the bathing area and get showered in preparation for the day. Today, the boys were supposed to go first, so he was safe. Looking around, most people seemed to still be sleeping.

Excellent.

Always good to get an early start on the day.

He grabbed his towel and a pair of briefs, and walked into the bathing area, entering one of the shower stalls, where he proceeded to strip off in preparation to clean himself up.

It was at this point that the routine deviated from normal.

To Jaune's utter shock, a hand that was not his own grabbed the stall's curtain, and pulled it aside. He wheeled around to face the intruder, and stared in surprise.

"Pyrrha!?"

"_Good morning, Jaune. Today feels like it's going to be a good day, does it not?"_

Jaune gulped.

The normally polite and reserved redhead, always properly dressed, was currently anything but.

She was wearing her trademark red, except it was sheer lingerie, the design of which seemed to reveal more than it hid. Jaune had noticed the very first time he had seen Pyrrha that she was quite fit. Now, he was absolutely certain, because very little was left to the imagination.

The bare expanse of her waist was smooth and slim, with a hint of her abdominals showing through. Lower down, her body widened out wonderfully at the hips, their smooth curve making his eyes follow it downwards in a trance. Here, it encountered a thin red string on both sides, which converged on a tantalizingly semi-transparent piece of cloth. It could be seen through just enough to show a hint of the wonderful treasure that lay behind, yet somehow completely blocking him from seeing anything more than just that hint. Lower still, her thick, toned thighs inched closer to him. There was some muscle there, but they looked liked they'd still be soft to touch.

As his eyes wandered back up to her torso, they encountered two beautiful mounds. The lacy fabric of the bra did just enough to push them up a little, emphasizing her already wonderful breasts. They were perky and looked firm, and their shape was oh-so-perfect. They looked just the right size to fit in his palms if he squeezed them.

Jaune shook his head, trying to rid it of dangerous thoughts, and looked further up, only to see Pyrrha's face.

There was probably not a sane person on Remnant who could claim Pyrrha wasn't good looking. As for Jaune, he had noticed that on their very first meeting. Her high and well defined cheekbones, round, full lips, cute nose, and sparkling green eyes. Everything about her had put butterflies in Jaune's stomach, and made him remember every unrequited crush he'd had as a teen.

But now? With those same full lips twisted in a slight smirk, while the calm understanding in those eyes was replaced by a predatory lust?

Pyrrha looked downwards. Jaune was already completely naked, and she very much liked what she saw between his legs, and the effect she was having on it.

"_Yes, it definitely looks like you are having a good day so far, Jaune." _

She giggled slightly, and her musical voice made him even harder.

"Pyrrha," he grunted out through hitched breath. "What… are you doing in here?"

"Hmm… let's see. I thought it would be nice for you to get a taste of your own medicine, Jaune."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb."

Pyrrha took another step forward, and considering Jaune's state, that meant there was no distance between them at all any more, and he was poking her in the stomach. She seemed completely unbothered by this, and in fact, pressed into the touch slightly, causing Jaune to moan lightly.

Reaching out, she cupped his chin.

"Every day, strutting around with that incredible body, performing unreasonably superhuman feats in front of me. Surely you know what that would do to a woman, Jaune."

Jaune was breathing hard now.

This was on a completely different level from Yang's teasing.

The fact was, he was neither oblivious to girls, nor uninterested in them. It was simply that twenty three years of being a loner don't go away all at once. He had all but given up hope in finding a partner. Coming to Beacon, he had noticed how his teammates had stared at him. But Jaune wasn't interested in a quick use-and-throw. It wasn't how he wanted to be treated, and it certainly wasn't how he wanted to treat anyone else.

But all he saw from them was thirst. No reason to believe any of them wanted anything more. And thus, no reason for him to take any of them seriously.

Until now.

"You needed to be taught what that feels like, Jaune. So tell me: do you like what you see?"

"I… am not a toy," he grunted out, even as every fibre of him wanted nothing more than to hold the wonderful woman in front of him, and pull her closer.

Pyrrha's smirk grew.

"I never said you were. _However, I would still like to play with you."_

She leaned closer, her lips mere inches from Jaune's. He stared into her eyes, and those green orbs seemed to be looking right into his soul.

"Choice is an important thing, Jaune. So I'll ask you: do _you_ want to play?"

Jaune's heart was hammering in his chest.

His normal, analytical self was destroyed completely, leaving only raw instinct in its place.

He knew nothing about this new Pyrrha.

Nothing about what her true intentions were.

But with her right in front of him like this, and offering to play, all his formidable resolve was crumbling.

He wanted nothing more than to have her.

The silence stretched on, in reality just a second or two, though it felt like an eternity to him.

Long enough that Pyrrha backed away.

"Hmm. Or perhaps not. It appears you aren't interested. Well, I'll take my leave then. Maybe I'll find someone who _does_ want this."

She made to leave, and in that instant, every last warning and stop sign in Jaune's system was utterly demolished. He stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

"Wait!"

She turned, slowly, no longer smirking.

"I don't like my time being wasted, Jaune. What is your answer?"

Jaune was aware he'd been defeated, but he no longer cared.

"_I want you,"_ he breathed.

The smirk returned to Pyrrha's face, and a pink tongue slipped out, licking her lips.

"Very well."

With no warning, she pushed him, shoving him right against the wall. It felt cold against his back, but he didn't care.

Pyrrha was pressed right up against him, running her hands all over his chest and stomach.

"Mmmm… nothing here is for show, I see."

"Pyrrha…"

He reached out to touch her, but she grabbed both his wrists and turned them away, before mashing her lips right onto his, slipping inside his mouth with ease, and exploring every inch of it.

The taste of Pyrrha was incredible, beyond anything he could have imagined. Her soft lips like honey on his, warm and sweet. She was taking the lead aggressively, her tongue nimbly working around his, while the soft noises she was making made him almost painfully aroused.

When she finally pulled away, he was breathing hard. A thin string of their saliva connected the two of them.

"This was good, but it's time for a proper breakfast."

Without waiting for a reply, she went down on her knees, and wrapped both hands around his erect length.

Jaune breathed deeply.

Looking down, the sight he saw made him instantly even harder, if that was even possible.  
Pyrrha was looking up from where she was, hands braced against his thigh, her lips almost touching his cock. It was a momentary glance upwards, as if to say "here we go", before she closed that distanced, and kissed his head.

Immediately, Jaune felt a wave of pleasure rush through his entire body.

He had no time to dwell on it though, because the next moment, Pyrrha proceeded to open her mouth, and take him inside.

Jaune wasn't big into watching porn, but he had randomly seen vids while surfing the net.

What he was experiencing now seemed nothing like what he had seen in them.

There was no trying to force his entire dick inside roughly. No gagging.

She was expertly using her tongue, running all over his exposed head, especially the sensitive part on its underside. Softly, constantly, putting him in a world of pleasure.

It felt so good, Jaune could come at any time. But he found himself hanging on.

Pyrrha switched up her moves, bobbing back and forth slightly, and Jaune's shaft slid smoothly inside and out. Once more, she took care not to go too deep, and honestly, she didn't need to. It was already incredible.

As she finally sped up just a little, Jaune could feel himself reaching his climax.

"Pyrrha, I'm… about to come…"

The redhead didn't stop. Instead, she looked up with his cock still in her mouth, and winked.

That sent him over the edge.

He spurted out his stuff, an entire load of cum, right in her mouth. He stayed in there, letting out every last drop, and Pyrrha held his thighs to make sure he didn't back away.

When he was finally done, she drew back, a single stream running down her face. Wiping it onto her finger, she slowly licked it up, and swallowed.

"_Mmm…_ gotta say, Jaune, you're well equipped _everywhere_."

Jaune was panting, and couldn't find the words to reply.

The sight of her got his cock up and ready to go again, and he couldn't wait for a second round.

"Pyrrha, I…"

As he reached out, she got up and took a step back, just out of his reach.

"Well, this was fun, Jaune. You can be sure, we'll be doing it again, whenever I feel like playing again."

Before he could say anything in reply, she turned around and exited, leaving him alone in the stall with a boner.

Jaune felt a strange sense of disappointment wash over him.

It had nothing to do with the actual happenings, which had been _amazing_. Or even the fact that she'd left him like this.

No, it was the fact that not once throughout the entire thing had she given him the chance to touch her, while she herself had touched him plenty.

Despite having gotten the one thing that he'd imagined he'd always wanted, if it somehow came to this, he felt like she had used him.

As that realization came crashing down on him, he turned on the shower, and kept it cold, deciding the best thing he could do now was to clean himself up, and get on with the day.

He had already ended up doing the one thing he'd told himself he never would, and given himself to a cheap one time thing. The worst part was, it had felt incredible. 

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Pyrrha had emerged from the shower feeling _elated_.

It had been hard to play that role, given that that was absolutely not the kind of person she ever saw herself as, or wanted to be. But she had needed to do it.

Nora's words had helped her realize that age old saying was true, and went both ways.

_Nice girls finish last._

Resorting to something like this wasn't her first choice (though she wanted to get physical with Jaune). But if it meant making him hers, if it meant not allowing Yang to take him away, she'd do it gladly.

And it _had_ been amazing.

It felt incredible to know that Jaune saw her as a woman, that he felt _that_ way about her. That she could get that reaction out of him.

Sure, keeping up the act in front of everyone else would be a bit challenging, but was it even really an act? The only people she wanted to be completely open with were Jaune, Nora and Ren. The latter two she could still be her old self with. As for Jaune… well, this was necessary.

Regarding everyone else… she was fond of them, but they'd been taking her for granted far too often. Maybe it would be good to put them in their place a bit.

Yang had saved her life during the Liminal encounter.

But she couldn't allow her to just take Jaune.

With all of this in mind, she was actually looking forward to the rest of the day… until she saw Jaune emerge from the showers.

He didn't look anything like his usual self.

Gone was the confidence, the self-assurance, the calm energy.

He looked preoccupied, lost in thought. And he looked sad.

Pyrrha felt her breath catch.

_Jaune?_

As he passed by, their eyes briefly met.

She attempted to summon up the persona she had assumed earlier, and brought the same smirk to her face, but to her horror, he flinched slightly, and looked down as he walked away.

_I… I don't understand._

Her mind was in turmoil.

She had no idea what had gone wrong.

Everything had seemed to go perfectly in there.

She had needed to make him want her, and the perfect way to do that was to be _just _out of reach. He should have been excited, should have wanted more.

And by all means, he had definitely wanted more when she had left.

Why then did he look sick right now?

As the day went by, the answer became increasingly clear.

Jaune was a shadow of his usual self, only speaking when he had to. Everyone noticed this, and Yang tried her hardest to cheer him up, only to fail. Incredibly, even his performance during training suffered, as he made several errors he would never have committed on any other day.

Above all, he avoided Pyrrha.

It was the exact opposite of the previous day, when he had eagerly approached her to ask for help with his training.

The redhead watched, numb with shock, and not knowing how to fix it.

The boy she had desperately wanted to be with, the one who had saved her life, defeated the creature that had haunted her nightmares, and been with her as she slowly learned to move on from those nightmares.

She had somehow, in one move, managed to push him away completely.

_What have I done?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: I don't **_**always**_ **feel like writing super angsty, ultra-serious conclusions to an arc. I think it's possible for something to be meaningful without being so difficult. In any case, enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Courage**__

_Two weeks ago:_

"_Roll it back again."_

_The dark-haired, slightly unkempt man obliged, rewinding the footage, and allowing it to play once more. The clip was five minutes long in its entirety, one of many that were recorded by automated camera attached to the custom-made sniper rifle he had carried onto the field with him. While he was primarily a close range melee and ambush fighter, Qrow Branwen was good at many things, and observing from a distance while being ready to intervene was one of them. This, of course, was exactly what he had done on the most recent field assignment for the new Recruits. Their only assignment so far. An assignment that could have very easily ended in all of their deaths. As a matter of fact, that was precisely what should have happened. A Liminal was a Class 1 threat. Previously, there had been no concrete data on them apart from their appearance, and thus, no way to come up with a battle strategy against them. They appeared suddenly, and their arrival was always marked by the quick demise of any humans in the vicinity, including Eliminators. As such, very little scope or body cam footage of them survived. They were mysterious terrors, one of many Mutate species about whom humanity knew almost nothing._

_All of that had changed, on that day._

_Because of the presence of one individual._

_Ozpin finished rewatching the footage, and Qrow turned off the wall mounted screen._

"_And there you have it. What do you think?" he asked._

"_High level superhuman strength. The Liminal's initial strikes were able to crack several metres of concrete, but Arc was able to stop one of its blows with little effort. Superhuman agility and speed as well, with reflexes to match, evident from how he moved, the way he dodged its attacks, and how quickly he closed the distance between himself and that thing. These attributes by themselves are not unheard of. There are other Empowered with high levels of physical ability. But the instinct, violent intent, skill, decision making, and ability to act immediately without hesitation… he is nothing like a 23 year old. He moves and attacks with the ability and effectiveness of a veteran soldier. Shows high level thinking and intelligence as well. All of that combined, and he is already worth twenty ordinary warriors. But then, there's his power too. That Ability…"_

_Qrow had seen it in front of his own eyes. Ozpin had seen the footage._

_Jaune Arc's unique Ability, which allowed him to turn one of the most feared creatures in the world into chunks of dead flesh._

"_I grilled him about it after we got back. He said it was telekinesis," Qrow revealed._

_Ozpin raised an eyebrow._

_Telekinesis… Glynda had that Ability. Yet, she was not able to use it to make things combust. Arc's power must be different somehow._

_And to think, he had hidden it all this time._

_Qrow watched the silver haired General carefully, trying to discern what his decision might be._

_Technically speaking, Jaune had not broken any rules._

_The Test was not limited to Empowered candidates, nor was there a hard rule which stated that a participating Empowered had to use their Ability. In fact, many humans had applied. The simple fact was, most of them simply were not chosen to be Eliminators, since they would most certainly be going to their deaths if they were sent into the field. Instead, after the initial Test, which separated frontline Eliminators from others, there was a second round of Testing. This was done to determine the aptitude of the remaining candidates. If they had qualities that Beacon needed, they were recruited into the Institute._

_And of course, there were also the Empowered who might lose in the 1 versus 1 part of the initial Test. Though they were advised to leave, they were not ordered to do so. Since their original contracts were voided, they were allowed, by their own free will, to stay at Beacon. Their aptitude in combat already having been determined, if they were chosen, they were given new contracts, and roles that were in accordance with their abilities._

_This was the method Ozpin had come up with. The flexible nature of the procedure ensured that no individuals who might be of use were wasted. Also, if any non-Empowered humans somehow proved good enough, there was no reason to not allow them onto the battlefield. By the very nature of the requirements though, anyone who was good enough to fight at that level was already superhuman, Mutant gene or not._

_Thus, Arc could not be penalised for not using his Ability during the Test._

_He could, of course, be detained as a suspicious element, since he was withholding personal information, including information that could be of use in the war._

_But Ozpin planned on doing no such thing._

"_We will let things continue as they are. He has revealed his Ability to you, has he not?"_

_Qrow nodded._

"_Yeah. The barest minimum, that is."_

"_Talk to him. Have him join the others in the Ability Training, and use it as an opportunity to find out what more he can do. If we can help him harness it even more effectively, there is no saying what he might be capable of. And of course, whatever we learn from him will be invaluable. Arc is a precious asset, Qrow. Make sure he is not alienated."_

_The dark-haired Eliminator grunted._

"_Easier said than done. Kid's got more walls up than goddamned Vale. Until recently, he wasn't even talking to the rest of the Team."_

"_And now?"_

"_Well, something seems to have changed. He did save their lives. Maybe that means they trust him now. That's a start, isn't it?"_

_Ozpin nodded._

"_It is a start. We can only hope he will move forward from here."_

_He sipped his coffee, his orders given, but nothing of his true intentions revealed to Qrow. _

Present Day:

Qrow observed the Team go through their drills. His orders from Ozpin were clear. But carrying them out was proving to be anything but easy. Things had been going fine for awhile, until all of a sudden, they weren't.

Arc was acting up again.

He wasn't talking much to the other Recruits, nothing beyond what was necessary. He seemed irritated too, snapping out at innocuous questions and attempts at conversation. That wasn't like him at all. Even when angry, Arc tended to be focused and in control. More often than not, he simply ignored people if he thought they were being bothersome. It just wasn't like him to allow anyone to get to him. Yet, he was doing so now. It wasn't just that either. He seemed, Qrow thought, to be sad.

_Something got under his skin._

The rest of the Recruits had all exhibited the various emotional responses that are normal and to be expected from a group of young people placed in an exceptionally difficult and challenging environment, and having to live with each other at the same time. Arc, on the other hand, had been an enigma, showing no reaction to any of this at all, and instead training as if he had been doing so his entire life (which Qrow had a feeling he had).

Now, it was as if all those reactions that Arc hadn't exhibited, were coming out at once, and he was finally displaying emotion.

Something had definitely gotten under his skin, bothered him enough that even his formidable self-control had broken.

Qrow knew better than to ask directly.

He had a feeling that whatever was bothering the boy, had to be personal, and asking him about it was only going to make him even more uncomfortable, and cause him to put up his guard more than he already did, effectively destroying all communication between him and the rest of the Institute.

So he'd have to find out another way.

There was, of course, an obvious method.

He could simply ask one of the other Recruits.

Many of them seemed genuinely puzzled by his behaviour, which suggested that they likely had no idea what the reason behind it was.

There were a few who didn't seem surprised too.

Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren both seemed to be restraining themselves from saying something, with some difficulty. They looked uncomfortable with the whole situation, and would look at Jaune with pity from time to time. They also looked guilty.

They were involved.

Then there was Qrow's own niece, Yang Xiao Long. Her reaction was pretty obvious to read. Qrow could recognize when a girl was crushing on someone, and it had been evident for a while that the brawler had a major thing for Arc. For quite a while, that relationship had been strained because of the dynamic between the unusual Recruit and everyone else. But after the Liminal incident, things seemed to have worked out, and she was showering her attention on him as usual. As for Arc, well, Qrow could also recognize when a guy just wasn't into a girl that way. The veteran Eliminator wasn't exactly the classic protective father-figure: he knew quite well that Yang was an adult, could take care of herself, and would inevitably have a relationship sooner or later. He wasn't about to try to screw it up for her by trying to stop her. He even felt a little bad for her: it was clear that all her efforts weren't really succeeding in getting Arc to see her any differently. On the bright side, it was clear he at least appreciated her as a friend, if nothing more.

With the way he was now, Yang was trying hard to cheer him up, but her efforts didn't seem to be bearing any fruit. This left her looking depressed, and concerned for him. From the way she was going about things, it didn't look like she had any idea _why_ exactly Arc was down, only that she wanted to bring him back up again.

And finally, there was Pyrrha Nikos.

The redhead was the last person Qrow would have expected to be involved in something that wasn't by-the-book. Of course, that meant she would _definitely_ be involved. One can never judge by appearances, he reminded himself. Nikos not only kept furtively glancing at Arc, but she looked like she wanted to talk to him. Yet, she seemed to be unable to approach him. She also looked incredibly guilty about something.

_Yeah, she definitely knows what happened. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure she has something to do with it. _

But Qrow couldn't just ask her about it. This seemed like a personal matter, and there was no reason for her to answer. If he demanded to know, using his authority as a superior officer, he might learn what he wanted to, but it would be a short-term victory that would come at a great price. He'd lose Nikos' loyalty and respect forever, and likely alienate her.

Obviously, that was not an option. He needed to resolve this in a way that didn't worsen the situation.

But he didn't know how.

Qrow was the rare kind of captain who was liked and respected by his warriors, because he always lived on their level, never attempting to talk down to them. While he could be a harsh and demanding instructor, and did not hesitate to rile someone up in order to make them improve, people eventually realized that he was not part of the "system". As such, the Eliminators always considered him one of them. This was true even for the Recruits, who had, after their initial introduction to him, started to accept him.

If it had been any other, Qrow might have found a way to get them out of their funk. He wouldn't even need to pry into what happened. He'd simply give them something else to focus on, to get their mind off whatever was bothering them.

But he couldn't do that with Arc.

Not when he barely knew anything about him.

Sure, certain broad traits were understandable. The fact that he was a self-sufficient loner who preferred to rely only on himself. Qrow had met other solitary wolves like that before. Hell, he'd been one for long periods of his life, and still always chose to do things himself if he could. But that wasn't all. Arc was also a classic case of a guy with something to prove. He was looking for a fight. Any fight. And he'd take it, just for the chance to utterly annihilate the opponent, and prove himself better. But here was where it got complicated. Unlike many such feisty individuals, who often looked to prove themselves to the eyes of another, Arc only wanted to prove his mettle to _himself_. Which meant, he acknowledged no authority or purpose other than his own. And that was where it got even more complicated. Instead of being an out-of-control maniac, he was smart, calm, focused, never outright disobeying direct orders, or giving Beacon an excuse to punish him. He was not only focused only on his own goals, but also clever enough to chase them without interfering with any other part of the Institute's functioning.

Putting it all together, the conclusion Qrow came to was so unlikely, he was tempted to dismiss it entirely.

But he couldn't, because it fit perfectly.

Beacon was the Institute that defended Vale from the Mutates, kept it safe. For that purpose, it had used many people, used their lives as fuel, and disposed of their dead bodies when it was all done.

Arc was the only son of a bitch crazy enough to _use_ Beacon, just to get himself on the frontlines and satisfy his thirst for battle.

The system did not own him.

It needed him, just like he needed it.

And that upset the power balance the Institute was used to.

Somehow, Arc had placed himself in a position of mutual cooperation with Beacon, instead of one where he served it.

And Qrow couldn't read someone like that so easily.

Sure, his recent reactions showed he was still a twenty something youth at heart, but he was far too guarded and calculating, far too experienced, and his motives crazy enough that Qrow couldn't find what made him tick. And he couldn't raise his spirits if he didn't even have the barest understanding of that.

The only thing he knew for certain was that he wanted to fight Mutates. But in his current emotional state, sending him into the field would be extremely foolish. As reluctant as the Eliminator Captain was to admit it, Arc was important. He couldn't risk getting him killed.

But there was nothing he could do to fix his current condition. All he could do… was wait.

======================================================================

Roman breathed out, exhaling a sigh of exhaustion and relief as he sat up on the bench after racking the bar.

"I… hate… this…" he said, emphasizing every syllable, as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Why the hell do they even have me lifting weights? I'm not trying to be a bodybuilder."

Roman loathed most of the physical training routine at Beacon, and grumbled constantly through it, though he knew better than to skip anything. As a consequence, in the three months since his arrival, he had packed on a surprising amount of muscle onto his lean frame.

Neo proceeded to check out said frame appreciatively while handing him a bottle of water. The two of them made eye contact, which allowed them to perform their unique method of communication.

"Yes, I know I've made gains… what do you mean I look good now? I was always good looking."

Neo rolled her dual coloured eyes.

"You're actually enjoying this, aren't you?" Roman said, eyes narrowed.

Neo smirked in response.

While she wasn't huge on the fitness lifestyle, she was less averse to it than her companion. Despite being on the shorter side, and slender, her time in the training rooms had added quite a bit of volume in interesting places, and even Roman had to admit that maybe exercise had its benefits after all.

Of course, she caught him looking and wagged an eyebrow teasingly.

"Oh, fuck off," said Roman. "As I recall, you enjoyed this morning plenty."

Neo's smile grew slightly larger.

As a matter of fact, shortly after their arrival, these two had decided to opt out of the separate bathing times rule, most often going in together, and using the same shower stalls. Of course, what happened in there should be obvious.

It was during one of these trysts that they had heard rather interesting sounds coming from another one of the stalls.

"Well, good to see some other people figured out what to do with their organs," Roman had commented.

Then, the two of them had realized something.

One of those two voices belonged to Pyrrha Nikos.  
And the other to Jaune Arc.  
While this had been an interesting fact, at that moment, Neo had demanded his attentions, and he had focused on pistoning his hips harder.

So, the matter had been removed from their minds.

Of course, later on, when they saw the pathetic state of their prospective ally, they had remembered the incident, and realized it must have something to do with it.

Currently, the two of them observed Jaune as he unloaded his frustrations on a training dummy, the sound of his punches sending reverberations through the room.

"Woah, all right. Did he come early or something?" Roman muttered, earning an elbow from Neo.

"Ouch! Okay, okay, I'll go talk to him. I'm not a fucking counsellor, Neo. But yeah, I agree. We've got to get his head back in the game if he's going to be around for the final quarter."

The two of them made their way over to Jaune, and Roman threw a bottle of water at him without warning, causing the blond to whip his arm around and catch it without looking.

"Been waking up on the wrong side of the bed for the past week or so, haven't you?"

Jaune turned to look at the unpredictable duo, eyes narrowing momentarily before he relaxed.

In a strange way, the fact that he _knew_ that these two cared nothing for the rest of the team, put him at ease. They were survivors, and their only loyalty was to each other. Thus, he could count on them to throw others under the bus. No expectations, no disappointment. Yet, for some reason, they seemed to include him in their numbers too. While he wasn't going to depend on them to have his back, he did have some kind of strange comfort zone around them, probably a result of the three of them all being outsiders at Beacon, without any real interest in the war apart from their own selfish motivations.

"What do you want, Torchwick?"

"Just came over to say hello. You like you could use a bit of help there, Jauney."

"My punching form is fine, thank you."

"Yeah, you hit like a gorilla on cocaine, and have the emotional maturity of a three year old. Congratulations."

"Hey! You got a problem with me?!"

It was almost laughable how easily he was getting riled up. Roman had found it almost impossible to provoke him before, and the fact that he could do it with so little effort now showed just how off-balance Jaune was.

"_You_ have a problem," the orange-head replied. "A girl problem from the looks of things."

Immediately, Jaune stumbled back a step, his eyes wide.

_Bullseye._

"I don't… there isn't… _how the fuck do you know about that?"_

Roman laughed.

"You aren't the only one getting freaky in the showers, dude. Helpful hint: if you want some privacy, use the steam room and shut the door. That being said, my memory's a bit hazy since I was busy with other things, but it sounded like you and Nikos were having a pretty good time in there. Which seems like a reason to do it again. And yet, nothing of the sort, and you're out here moping all the time like the kid who got turned down for prom. So? What happened?"

Jaune glared at him.

"None of your fucking business is what happened."

"Come on, Jauney. You know me better than that. You know we're not going to drop this till we get some answers. And, well, if you won't tell us, maybe we'll ask Nikos-"

"You leave her the fuck alone!" said Jaune forcefully.

He seemed to realize a second too late that he had had an outburst, and Roman smirked.

"Ah. Interesting. You seem oddly concerned about her. Could it be she wasn't a one-and-done deal for you?"

Jaune's eyes glinted sharply, and the air around his palm warped unnaturally.

"Leave it alone," he said. "I won't tell you again."

But Roman was not so easily intimidated.

"And that right there is proof! For you to get triggered this hard, that redhead must be someone special to you indeed, huh? And yet, you're here alone, and she's all the way over there, and I don't see you two talking. Is that why you're looking like a sad puppy? Because it was oh-so-special to you, and just another fuck to her?"

Jaune looked for a moment like he was about to hit him, but ultimately, the tension left his body, and his shoulders slumped.

Roman had known where and how to push.

"Just leave me alone," the blond said, sounding tired.

Roman reached out and grabbed a fistfull of his vest to force him to look up.

"Hey. Don't take the easy way out. I never said there was anything wrong with finding her special. Don't be ashamed about it. It meant something to you. She meant something to you. You're going to just step on that?"

Jaune's eyes widened.

Roman sighed in frustration and shared a look with Neo, as if wondering aloud how someone could be this dense. Letting go of the collar, he continued.

"You're twenty three years old, dude. Not everyone you meet is going to want something deeper than physical."

"I'm not a fucking toy," said Jaune. "And that casual shit is weak."

"I know you're not," replied Roman. "But there will be times in life when you'll feel like you got played. Can't let it get you down, you know? You gotta move on. One bad experience is no reason to give up and become a weakling."

Jaune said nothing. Maybe it was the fact that it was Roman Torchwick of all people who was saying, but he was listening.

"Look, you're not a kid. I can't tell you what to do. But I'll say this: take a look at Nikos, and tell me if she looks happy. Tell me if that looks like the face of someone who used you and moved on."

Jaune followed his advice, and glanced at the redhead.

Over the past week or so, he had refused to so much as look at her, and even if he did, he was blinded by his own resentment. Now that he finally had his eyes open… he saw that she seemed miserable, even more than he felt.

"That… doesn't make any sense," he said, struggling to understand and piece things together in his mind.

"Of course it doesn't, dumbass. As broken as that Ability of yours might be, you can't read minds, can you? How the hell are you supposed to know how she feels?"

"How the hell _am_ I supposed to know?" said Jaune, his voice rising.

"You fucking ask, you idiot! Holy fucking shit, I actually needed to tell you that?"

Jaune stumbled back another step.

"Just… ask? Ask, and have her lie to me? She could say anything at all."

His mistrust of others, cultivated by a life lived alone, and intensified by his recent experience, was coming to the fore.

Roman could see the paranoia starting to rise, and knew he needed to finish it, right here and for good.

"Listen here, you piece of shit. As smart as you are, you're _really_ not good at the whole pretending-to-be-someone-else stuff, and you suck at understanding people. You can give up on finessing your way through this, because you'll fail."

"Well, what the _fuck_ am I supposed to do then?" exclaimed Jaune, his frustration finally causing him to snap.

"You stay yourself, and go forward. It doesn't matter that you suck at pretending, or reading people. To honestly, bluntly, openly, be your fucking self, is the biggest power move on the planet. Really, most people just don't have what it takes to pull it off. _But you do._ Just ask her what's really happening, and hear what she has to say. You'll either believe her or you won't. Either way, move forward and do what you think is right."

Roman paused and looked down, and murmured something else, more to himself than to Jaune.

"Life's too short to overthink things and have regrets."

With that, he turned around and began to walk away.

Neo lingered a moment longer and flashed him a thumbs-up before leaving as well.

Jaune stood rooted on the spot, Roman's word ringing through his head.

_To honestly, bluntly, openly, be oneself._

Isn't that what he had always done?

He didn't go around proclaiming his intentions to everyone. But he had always chased his goals, and never pretended to be someone he wasn't.

Turning, he looked at Pyrrha once more.

The girl was practising with her hybrid weapon in its spear form. Normally, she was an excellent combatant. But today, her form was off. Her weight thrown forward unnecessarily into weak thrusts. It was clear her heart wasn't in it. Standing up straight, she retracted the weapon and sheathed it in her shield's compartment before sighing.

She did indeed look miserable, and nothing like the confident, dominating girl who oozed raw sexuality, the one Jaune had met in that shower.

_I don't understand,_ he admitted to himself.

As for him, despite his statement, he knew his own form was off too, and his performance had been weak for a while now. He was unable to focus properly, and lacked the drive and motivation that he could always call upon to fuel him.

_I don't understand, but this can't go on. One way or another, I have to find out._

Roman was right.

If it truly had meant nothing to her… it would hurt him. But he still needed to know. It was far better to know for sure what his place was in the world, than to live in ignorance.

The rest of the lessons that day passed by in a blur, with Jaune going through them on autopilot. He knew he wouldn't really be able to concentrate on them until he knew the answer to his question. So instead of trying to do so, he psyched himself up to do what he had to once they returned to the living quarters.

Finally, when it was all over, they returned to that familiar place. Jaune cleaned himself up and got changed into home wear. It was at this point that he realized that this was much harder than he had initially anticipated.

Most of the Recruits were already in their little groups, engaging in whatever activities they liked performing in their free time. Sun had set out the Playstation again, causing Neptune, Yang and Ruby to wait excitedly for the device to boot up. Blake was reading by herself. Velvet and Coco seemed to be watching the gamers from a distance. Roman and Neo were… scheming, or doing whatever it was they did when they conversed in their unique method.

As for Pyrrha, she was with Nora and Ren, and the three, although they didn't seem very eager to play, were watching Sun and the others set up.

If Jaune were to approach her now, _everyone_ would notice.

He felt like an awkward teen about to talk to a girl in class for the first time again.

Except, given the situation, he felt even more nervous.

Minutes passed by, but he wasn't able to summon the courage to go through with it. In fact, he didn't even know what he was supposed to say. Every version of the event he could visualize ended with all the other Recruits forming a crowd to listen in, and reacting like a bunch of high schoolers.

_This is ridiculous. _

He remembered what Roman had said.

_Be myself, huh?_

Jaune had no idea how to be smooth with people.

If he were to handle this in the only way he knew…

He got up from his bunk bed and walked over to the practice weapons rack, hefting a spear replica.

He turned around.

"Hey, Nikos."

The redhead turned around, to see an object hurtling through the air right towards her.

Reacting on instinct, she activated her Ability. Luckily, the handle had metal parts, and her magnetism caused it to stop in mid-air, inches from her face.

Everyone stared, wide-eyed.

Jaune had grabbed a pair of short sword replicas, and he was staring Pyrrha down.

"Jaune, what-?"

"_We're fighting. Right here, right now."_

Pyrrha stood up, shaking her head, not understanding what was going on at all. She stared at him with a bewildered expression.

Several others stepped forward immediately, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Hey, man, calm down. What are you trying to pull here?" Sun had put down the controller, and took a step towards Jaune.

"He's right, Jaune, what the hell was that supposed to be? You could have seriously hurt her!" Yang was glaring at him reproachfully.

Instead of answering, Jaune gestured with his weapons for them to move aside.

"Come on. You don't think sitting around playing video games every evening sucks? We're supposed to be Eliminators. How about some real action?"

Several people murmured.

This was yet _another_ new side of Jaune they were seeing, and they didn't know how to deal with it.

They looked at each other, as if asking what they were supposed to do now. Everyone was tired, and no one really wanted to spar during their free time after an entire day of training.

"Man, quit it. We're too tired for this shit. Tomorrow, all right?" Sun tried to end it.

"Wasn't talking to you. Unlike you, _she _enjoys playing. Isn't that right, Nikos?"

Pyrrha's cheeks grew red.

She had _not_ expected him to bring that up in front of everyone.

Was he that angry with her? Enough for him to resort to this to hurt her?

She was on the verge of tears, when Jaune spoke again, dispelling all her doubts.

"You're the only one here who can keep up with me, Nikos. I don't just ask everyone to train with me. So, what's it gonna be? You gonna do this, _or do I have to find someone else who's interested?"_

Pyrrha's eyes widened as he essentially threw her own line from the shower incident back at her.

Did he really mean that?

Since that day, he had avoided everyone equally. But would he really do that? Have someone else train, or do whatever else he was suggesting, with him?

_No._

A fire began to burn inside her.

She wasn't going to let this happen.

This situation had already deteriorated worse than she had imagined possible. But she wasn't going to give him up without a fight. Never again would she lose out for being a nice girl. She was _not_ about to give up on Jaune, and if that meant taking him on here and now to prove herself, so be it.

She turned the spear over with her Ability, and reached out a hand to grab it out of the air.

"I accept your challenge."

[OST: POD- Here Comes the Boom]

"Oh shit, it's going down," said Yang.

She barely had time to move out of the way, because Jaune proceeded to clear the twenty feet of distance between him and Pyrrha with a single leap, coming down with a double bladed smash.

Pyrrha narrowed her eyes and used her power, grabbing Jaune's weapons and halting them. Since he was still holding them up, that left him hanging in the air.

Everyone backed away.

"She's actually got him!" exclaimed Sun.

"Jaune got countered?!" Ruby said.

A vicious grin broke onto Jaune's face.

"You've got _nothing._"

Summoning forth his telekinesis, he ripped his weapons free of the magnetic influence.

Pyrrha's eye widened as she felt her grip on the twin sword replicas slip. The sensation was hard to describe, but if she had to, she'd say that no matter which way she pulled, there was a counter force pulling in the opposite direction, neutralizing it, leaving the weapons free… and allowing Jaune to drop to the ground softly.

_How…?_

"Oh shit," muttered Neptune.

"Sorry," said Jaune. "No oversized magnet gets in my way."

With a smooth movement, he kicked a loaded barbell that was on the ground, sending it spinning through the air. Everyone ducked on instinct, and Pyrrha raised both hands, slowing it down and eventually stopping it with her Ability's influence.

But that wasn't the attack. It was simply the distraction.

Jaune was no longer anywhere in her field of sight.

_Where…?_

"Above you!" shouted Ruby.

Jaune had jumped, and flipped over, so that his feet hit the ceiling. Using it as a springboard, he launched himself downwards like an arrow.

With no time to raise a magnetic field, Pyrrha moved to the side to dodge, and the fight entered melee range.

She swung the long rod that served as a spear replica, but Jaune ducked under it and weaved up and forward, coming in with a right-handed swing at her thigh.

She raised her shin in a Muay Thai guard, blocking the blunt weapon, and transitioning into a push kick to send him back, gaining some much needed distance.

It was at this point that she realized, that the fight should have been over the moment Jaune entered melee range.

As good of a martial artist as she was, Jaune was better, and his strength was in an entirely different league. The initial strike should have knocked her down if he was going as hard as he did during lessons, and broken outright if he had been serious.

_He's not hitting me seriously?_

Jaune dashed forward again with a double handed swing, forcing her to raise the staff with both hands horizontally in order to block.

The two fighters initiated a lock, attempting to wrestle each other and move away their opponent's weapon to clear a path for a finishing blow.

Taking the opportunity, Jaune leaned in close. Given their position, it would simply look like he was trying to use his weight. In actuality, he whispered in her ear.

"Hey. I'm about to do something, and you should tuck in your chin, and try to land on your upper back muscles. Brace yourself, or it'll hurt. Once you take the fall, play along."

"What are you talking- EEEEEP!"

She had no time to finish her question.

Jaune had let go of both his weapons. Since Pyrrha had been pushing, and now had no resistance against her, she toppled forward. The blond, in the meantime, took a step back, allowing her to tumble.

When her head was low enough, he secured her in a frontal guillotine hold, his arm wrapped around her chin.

That was Pyrrha's cue about what he was planning.

The real version of this hold would have the arm _under _the chin, around the neck.

Jaune's other hand grabbed onto her shorts.

Yang's jaw dropped.

"No fucking way..."

Jaune yelled out with all the excitement of a kid emulating his idol.

"BRAINBUSTER!"

He hoisted her up, and fell backwards.

The landing shook the room, and everyone cringed.

Pyrrha fell onto her back.

_How did I survive that?_

The landing had been different from what she'd expected.

Instead of planting her on her head (which would have killed her for sure), Jaune had actually taken the fall first, landing on his own upper back, making sure Pyrrha didn't even hit the ground initially. By subtly shifting the angle, he had made sure her head was out of the way. The redhead had followed his cue, and taken the brunt of the impact with her upper back. This combined with the fact that instead of slamming her straight down, Jaune essentially flipped her backwards at the moment of contact, meant that she actually rolled forward safely, dissipating the force.

It was a dangerous move, but she had survived.

And she had the presence of mind to play along, and keep her eyes closed.

Jaune meanwhile, stood up.

"Heck yeah. Been meaning to try that again for a while."

He looked around, and there was not a closed mouth in sight, or a jaw not on the floor.

"What, you people never see pro wrestling before?"

"JAUNE, YOU IDIOT, YOU KILLED HER!"

He scoffed.

"No, I didn't. Look, she's still breathing. Just unconscious. And on that note, I'm going to take her to the medical wing. See you all later."

He proceeded to lift her up onto one shoulder and carry her out of the room, not waiting to hear any arguments, which, in any case, everyone was too shocked to make.

Outside, Jaune made sure they were a decent distance away from the living quarters before he finally let her down on her feet.

Pyrrha blinked a few times and stared at him.

"What… the hell was that?"

"Brainbuster. It's a variation of the vertical suplex, I think? Works similarly anyway. You took it like a champ."

Pyrrha shook her head, starting to get a little angry now.

"No, I meant, what the fuck was all that? What were you trying to do? You could have killed me if something went wrong! Was there a _point_ to this little stunt?"

"Was there a point to the little stunt you pulled in the showers a week ago?"

The redhead's eyes widened.

Before she could say anything, though, Jaune went on.

"You said we'd be doing it doing it again if you felt like _playing _again. Then a week goes by, and you don't even say a thing."

Pyrrha struggled to find the words she needed to, and bring them out, but couldn't do so.

"Look, I don't understand any of this stuff. You've probably noticed, but I suck at… people. So I can only be direct. I enjoyed that time. Was I the only one who did? Or was it because that's all you wanted? Just some fun, and nothing else? Is that what you wanted, Pyrrha?"

She wanted to speak, to clear away this entire misunderstanding that she had created, with her own actions.

That was how she had come across to her: someone who wanted to use him and be done with it.

When the truth was the exact opposite.

_How did it all go so wrong?_

He meant _so much_ more to her than just a toy. And she had been occupied in trying to get him by any means at all, that she hadn't even thought about how he might feel.

"You can be honest, you know," Jaune said. "There isn't a rule anywhere saying you _have _to like me back. If that was all it was to you, just tell me. I can take it. I won't even hold it against you."

Pyrrha shook her head.

She couldn't do it with words. So all she could do was trust her heart one more time, and hope she was making the right choice this time.

Cutting Jaune off as he was about to ask more frantic questions, she threw herself forward, and smashed her lips onto his.

He felt him stiffen up immediately, but then relax. She didn't try to make herself the image of desire, like last time. Instead, she only wanted to communicate who she really was, and everything she felt for him. This kiss didn't have tongues exploring mouths. But it was a hundred times more intense than the one that had come before.

It wasn't about lust. About making him want her.

It was her pure, honest self.

Her fear of losing him. Her intense feelings for the boy who had saved her life, and captured her heart. How much she liked him. How much she wanted him to notice that, and feel the same way about her.

When they finally pulled apart, Jaune's eyes were wide.

"I'm kind of dense, you know. So I'll ask: does this mean…?"

She smiled, her eyes slightly moist.

"You are _not_ a toy, Jaune. You're the most important person at Beacon to me. And, even after the things I've done… if you're still interested, nothing would make me happier than being by your side, always. I understand if that's not what you want anymore, but-"

This time, it was Jaune who interrupted her, closing the distance between them.

He could indeed have spent days deliberating, trying to figure out if she was being truthful or not.

But it wouldn't have gotten him any closer to an answer.

So he did the only thing he could, and trusted his heart. He did not know the future, but one thing he was sure of: he _did_ want Pyrrha Nikos.

As this heartwarming scene played out between the two, neither of them were aware that a third person was watching. Someone, who, driven by curiosity, had followed them out of the living quarters.

A pair of lilac eyes saw everything, turning crimson momentarily as their owner came to a decision.

====================================================================== 


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: Okay. So a lot of stuff. Firstly, sorry I didn't publish this on Christmas. Secondly, sorry for any grammar or spelling errors. Writing 30ish pages in a day is time consuming, and I have work tomorrow, so I can't do a check. Please bear with me. Thirdly, the monster design for this chapter is one of my favourites. Honestly, coming up with cool new Mutates is a fun part of writing this story, and **_**two**_ **new Mutates make their debut here.**

**Fourthly, never count a dragon out.**

**Chapter 5: On the Right Track**

_**Part I- A Reason**_****

Jaune Arc adjusted his grip on his twin-sword pair, settling the handle into his palms comfortably. He took a deep breath and exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he launched himself forward, never rising more than a foot off the ground. As he shot through the air, he flattened himself, angling so that he was close to parallel to the floor. Midway through the leap, he entered a corkscrew spin. When he was four feet from the metal target, he swung, using the momentum he'd built up to deliver two downward slices, one from each blade. He finished the move by landing in a crouch, right in front of the dummy. A moment later, the bifurcated halves of it fell to the ground.

_Not bad. But I could have been faster._

He sheathed his blades at his sides and grabbed the destroyed dummy, bringing the separated halves together and holding them in contact with each other. Reaching out with his power, he located their electrons and manipulated them. The shared attraction of the metal ions to the moving electrons rebonded them. Within seconds, the target was repaired, ready for use once more. Setting it back up, Jaune rose to his feet and decided to take a break. There was a filtration unit in the room, and he went over to get some water. As he drank, he took the chance to glance at his fellow Recruits.

They were all engaged in their personal training, each of them having an idea by now of how and where to focus to maximize their effectiveness during a mission. And for the most part, they were doing well. Jaune felt a small smile tugging at his lips, and allowed it to come out for a second.

Things had changed.

All in one day. It was only the previous evening that he had had his talk with Pyrrha. And that one act of reaching out, of communicating, had ended the doubt, the insecurity, and the inner turmoil he had been experiencing. And he hadn't been the only one. Pyrrha had been happy; happy that the distance which had sprung up between them had been removed. Even now, Jaune looked over at her, and their eyes happened to meet. She smiled slightly, causing his stomach to flutter. There was something about things she did, perfectly normal things, that became sensual somehow. Just a smile or a look shouldn't be turning him on that much. But it was.

He shook his head. For all his studies, this was one thing he knew almost nothing about. But he liked it.

As he resumed his training, he did not notice that he was being watched by another. Lilac eyes turned red, and a completely innocent training dummy was sound pounded into an unrecognizable lump resembling mashed vegetables.

Yang Xiao Long panted, beads of sweat rolling down her face as the energy high from consuming Bullhead fuel began to subside.

Things had changed.

All in one day. It had been only the previous morning that she had talked with Jaune. Laughed, joked. Like they had always done. She had thought that had been bonding. It had been for her. Her way of getting closer to him.

She punched the already demolished target once more, growling slightly.

It had meant nothing to him. Laughing. Joking. That had been all it ever was. Just jokes. Maybe that was what he saw her as. The thought made her sick.

The truth was, for all her beauty, and all her confident demeanour, all her power and courage, Yang Xiao Long had had no romantic experience in her life before. At twenty-three, serving in an Institute where her job was to risk her life to kill monsters, she had, for the first time in her life, ever found herself attracted to someone. And it wasn't just an attraction either. Yang was, in fact, the exact opposite of everything she proudly showboated in front of others. She was _not_ shallow enough to like someone just for being good looking, or strong. Just for their physical attributes.

She liked Jaune _precisely_ for all the things he was that had nothing to do with him as a warrior.

She liked the fact that he was a nerd, and unapologetic about it. She liked the fact that he was a tryhard at everything he did, and so blatantly obvious whenever he was showing off. She liked the fact that she knew his cool-guy front was just that: a front.

He was, in so many ways, just like her.

All people saw of them was what was on the surface. A badass girl who could punch craters in the ground. An invincible guy who could kill monsters.

This was all anyone saw, because no one bothered to look beneath the surface.

It was why Yang had been able to see Jaune, because she had seen past that. And… she'd hoped it would be why he would be able to see her.

A misguided hope.

He'd never been interested in the first place, and looking back, she mentally slapped herself for even thinking so in the first place.

And how had that redheaded bitch gotten so close to him anyway?

Yang had never seen any hints of that kind of bond between them.

She'd barely even seen the two of them interact much, apart from occasionally training together.

But come to think of it, the last week had been weird.

Jaune had seemed completely out of it. He'd made mistakes during training, something he never did, and Pyrrha had seemed downright depressed. With the benefit of hindsight, Yang could put together the clues she had missed before. It was obvious that the reason they were both in the dumps had to do with each other. Something had happened between them. But that would mean they had _already_ been interested in each other, or even _seeing each other_, more than a week ago.

How long had it been going on?

Were they a thing from the start, and she just hadn't noticed it?

Or had they hooked up right under her nose, without her even being aware of it?

Both possibilities sent searing rage flooding through her veins.

Training ended for the day, with the three young Recruits all going through emotions they had never experienced before in their lives. Little did they know that things were about to get even more complicated.

Jaune arrived back at the living quarters, and decided to get himself cleaned up. A quick shower later, he was dressed in his dorm wear again. For this evening, he decided it would be best to go through the Institute's files on Mutates, studying up on the types he hadn't read about yet. Each Recruit was given a handheld computer for educational and recreational use in the living quarters. Jaune grabbed his and settled down on his bunk. There was still quite a bit of time before dinner, enough to learn something new, that would definitely come in handy.

As he was about to begin, though, he smelled a familiar scent, and looked up to see a pair of vividly green eyes looking into his own.

Almost immediately, he felt his heartbeat speed up, even as a nervous but pleasant feeling bloomed.

"Hey," he said, voice slightly dry. "Something up?"

She shook her head. There was just a hint of red on her cheeks.

"No. I simply wanted to spend some time with you. May I join you?"

The way she spoke, the way she held herself, it was all so dramatically different from that one time in the shower, as if that had not even been the same person. He found that he much preferred this side of her.

"Sure," he said. "You don't need to ask," he added softly. Moving aside, he made some space for her, and she sat down next to him, both of them with their legs drawn up on the bed.

Now that they were both here, though, there was an awkward few inches of space between them, which was incredible considering how the two of them had first gotten physically acquainted with each other. A moment of silence followed, in which both of them waited for the other to say something.

Then, at the same time:

"So, training was nice tod-"

"Today went quite well-"

They both stopped when they realized the other was trying to speak.

"Oh, sorry, you go first-"

This time, they ended up chorusing the exact same words.

They both frowned, then burst out laughing.

"Unexpected synchronization for the win?"

Jaune held up a fist for her to bump.

She giggled and bumped it.

"I'll take it."

The awkwardness was gone.

This was in fact the first time they were talking since Jaune's practical confession the previous day, and in truth, neither of them had been exactly sure what they were supposed to do.

As these things go, of course, all they needed to do was be themselves.

"I wasn't sure how to go about it," Jaune admitted. "Are you okay with everyone knowing?"

She smiled.

"Why would I not be?"

As if to illustrate her point, she proceeded to eliminate those inches of space between them, snuggling right up against him so that their thighs were touching, and resting her head on his shoulder. Jaune's heart skipped a beat, but then he felt a warmth spreading through him. He _definitely _preferred this side of her.

As they sat there, they felt drawn to them, as if by gravity, the gazes of many young Recruits, and since there wasn't really any way to get away from that, they decided to stay as they were, and stare back.

Jaune, of course, was used to dirty looks already, and wasn't fazed by the fact that almost all the guys in the room were giving him exactly that at the moment.

"Fuck you, Jaune," came a voice from the distance.

"Thanks, Sun," he replied.

Much grumbling ensued, including complaining about how some people were "hax", and seemed to win at everything.

Ignoring them, Jaune turned his attention solely upon the gorgeous woman next to him.

"This is going to sound weird, but is there a reason?"

He didn't really need to specify what he was asking about. Pyrrha understood.

She looked back in her mind, to events from long ago.

Pyrrha had been outside the domes three times in her life. Once was during her trip from Mistral to Vale. Once was for the mission that had nearly been disastrous. And once… once simply because she'd tried running away.

She could remember that day clearly. She'd heard it said often that one bad day can make all the difference, and in her opinion, it was true. The stress of being a teen idol on screen, and a loner in real life, had added up. Multiplied by the strain of forcing herself to perform to her highest levels all the time. And one day, she'd just had enough.

She had been sixteen when she'd tried running away. It had not been a passenger transport at all, but one meant for goods. While each of the four domes was capable of simulating within them an environment capable of growing most of their needs, they did have variations, meaning some crops or resources or animals were more plenty in one dome than another, while there were a few things that were entirely unique to each of the four. This meant that trade did take place. Extremely cautious it was, and the Bullheads travelled back and forth between them as few times as possible, choosing, as always, the routes and times that were likely to be the safest.

It was on one of these aircrafts that Pyrrha had stowed away.

Even then, she knew it hadn't been a rational decision. In fact, if she really had to start a new life, the best way to do it would have been to run away from home and live elsewhere within Mistral itself. But she had just wanted out. Rather than starting a new life, she'd just wanted an escape. Maybe she had hoped someone would find her and stop her.

Regardless, she'd stowed away.

The mistake had nearly cost her life.

The attack came suddenly, unpredictably.

The Liminal came out of the ground. Its first strike nearly knocked the craft Pyrrha was in out of the sky. There was a second, smaller craft with them, though, carrying Eliminators. Seeing the Mutate, they opened fire upon it immediately.

Pyrrha watched the whole scene play out through the loading door's pane. How the bullets left no mark on the creature. As if they had never even reached it. How the Eliminators' aircraft was torn apart, seemingly by nothing, and how, before each of the warriors crashed to their deaths below, they were pierced through, as if by a spear made of air.

They had been close enough that Pyrrha could make out some of their eyes. The terror in them as they had died.

The Eliminators' intervention had provided a distraction. One big enough for the transport Bullhead's pilot to engage emergency thrusters, and head back towards Mistral. They were able to escape… but barely. Several waves of force had crashed into the ship, but it had managed to stay up, and get away.

Pyrrha wasn't even sure why the Liminal didn't pursue. Perhaps it was simply too lazy. Perhaps it wasn't fast enough to keep up.

Either way, she escaped, with her life.

Most of the aftermath of that incident was blurry in her memories. She remembered her parents shouting, crying. Remembered being questioned by Haven officials. Something about letting her go because she had an exemplary record.

But none of that was what she had taken away from that incident.

No, she had received two things.

The fear of death, given concrete form, in the shape of Liminals, and by extension, Mutates of all kinds.

And the knowledge that she had survived because of the sacrifice of brave Eliminators who had given up their lives to stay true to their duty.

Those Eliminators might not have had Abilities at all.

This was early in the days of the second generation of human Mutants, dubbed the Empowered, and the idea of using them to form a specialized team of Eliminators was still just an idea, in Ozpin's head. It was certainly not a reality in Mistral, where most Eliminators were either first generation Mutants, or just ordinary humans.

Each generation was stronger than the last.

Humans, possessing only their intelligence and drive for survival.

Mutants, blessed by the phenomenon that had brought the change, possessing everything that humans did, and along with it, powers that allowed them to do unheard-of things.

And Empowered. The children born to pairs of Mutant parents, or pairs of one Mutant and one human parent. Possessing survival instinct, intelligence, and powers that far surpassed Mutants.

As an Empowered, Pyrrha was aware of the might she wielded. And if ordinary humans could put themselves on the line for others, then she would too.

It was her duty as one who had survived. As one who had power.

And so, the person she had nurtured herself into becoming, a girl who strived to do all the things she believed she should, went on a war path against her fear and trauma, which urged her to stay far and away from all Mutates.

It was this conflicted, near-broken girl with an image of perfection painted on top who arrived at Beacon. She'd buried her fear and pain inside, and believed that would be enough.

But seeing the Liminal had reawoken it.

Until, it had been snuffed out permanently.

When Jaune had saved her.

Had that been what had made her fall for him?

She shook her head.

No. Pyrrha was many things, but she was not one who believed in being dependant, unable to live without relying on another.

While it was impossible to not be grateful to him, she didn't confuse that gratitude with attraction or affection.

No, she had been interested in Jaune from the moment she first saw him. And getting to know him had simply convinced her that he was a good guy, and that was why she had developed feelings for him. It wasn't any one thing: it was who he was as a whole.

And honestly, it had nothing to do with him as a warrior.

It was Jaune Arc the _person_ who was unbearably precious to her for some reason. Enough for her to make her ill-advised attempt at seducing him. Enough that the thought of someone taking him away from her was unacceptable.

But there was no way she was going to say any of that.

It was already embarrassing enough admitting to herself how much she liked him, and even more embarrassing to think of the ridiculous act she'd put on in the shower (she really hoped he wouldn't bring that up in future).

She settled for smiling and shaking her head.

"I don't really know," she said. It wasn't a lie. Does anyone truly know why one likes someone else? "I'm just happy we're here. That it's you here with me."

It was a display of honesty, and maybe because of that honesty, it was able to get through to Jaune, who smiled slightly.

He was about to reply, when his enhanced hearing detected the vibrations of air molecules being violently shoved out of the way as something approached at breakneck velocity.

Reaching out a hand on reflex, he caught the heavy leather punching bag, his fist going clean through it and bringing the object to a stop with his arm embedded elbow deep in it.

Several feet away, in the training section of the quarters, Yang stood with her arm extended in the finish position of straight right.

"Sorry," she said, not sounding remotely apologetic. "Hit it a little hard."

Jaune nodded, accepting the non-apology, but noting the badly disguised undercurrent of hostility in her voice.

_Is she pissed for some reason? _

Next to him, Pyrrha was more worried.

Unlike Jaune, she knew _exactly_ what Yang had just tried to do.

And it hadn't escaped her notice that she'd used the leather bag, which was immune to her magnetism. 

_**Part II- Second Outing**_

_General's Chamber, Beacon Institute_

Qrow stopped a few feet away from the imposing doors in front of him, and took a deep breath. He unscrewed a flask which he constantly carried with him, and took a sip from it before stepping forward. In response to his presence, the doors slid upwards, allowing him in. Within the chamber that lay inside, Ozpin was seated between an oak desk. The wall-mounted display behind him showed many open tabs, each one of them the file of a Recruit.

"It's time," said the silver-haired General. "What is their status?"

Qrow grimaced slightly and rand his hand through his hair. A week had elapsed since Arc's last error during the drills. He seemed centred and focused now, as did Nikos. However, Yang was even more volatile than before. This was not the condition in which he wanted to send the squad out. In fact, he had bargained for more time with Ozpin, which was the only reason they had even been given this long a break after their first mission. But the General had reached the end of his patience. As vast as Beacon's funding and resources were, they were still limited, and they could not afford to house eternally a team of Eliminators that didn't even take the field.

"They're better than before," the veteran admitted. "But not all of them have their head in the game-"

"We cannot wait any longer, Qrow," said Ozpin firmly.

"Just a little bit more," pleaded the dark haired warrior. "Yang's emotional stability is compromised. Sending her into the field in this condition is risking getting her killed-"

"Then remove her from the active squad," said the General without hesitation.

Qrow frowned.

"That's ridiculous! She's our best warrior next to Arc. On par with Nikos, she might be the heaviest hitter we have. Without her-"

"The squad can't succeed? Then let her take the field. Whether she goes or not, the mission must be carried out. We have time, Qrow, but not an infinite amount of it. Vale Council needs results. We were able to keep the details of Arc's Ability from them, but the mission report clearly says that a Liminal was defeated. They're asking why, with military capability like that, we aren't taking the initiative. So far, I have been able to answer them, but I cannot do so anymore, unless we have something to show for it. We are the only remaining Settlement that still launches offensive excursions. If we cannot show results, our funding will be cut. And we will be reduced to waiting inside this dome. Waiting to die, like the others."

Qrow clenched his teeth, but couldn't find an answer.

Ozpin continued, pushing forward a file on his desk.

"This contains the details of the task at hand. I will leave planning in your hands, but it must be carried out within the week."

======================================================================

Qrow left the chamber with the file in hand, spewing profanities towards Ozpin. No matter how much he ranted and raved, however, he could not go against his orders. That would amount to treason.

Opening the file, he quickly scanned through its contents.

"Shit," he muttered.

This was not good.

======================================================================

_Briefing room, 1800 hours, same day._

"We're being sent on another mission?" asked Neptune.

"About time if you ask me," replied Sun. "Been here four months, only been on one mission the entire time."

There was a mixed reaction to this statement.

Some were hungry for more action, while others recalled that they had barely survived the last time.

Jaune, of course, was in the former group, but he was aware that Pyrrha had stiffened slightly next to him. On instinct, he reached out tentatively, his fingers brushing hers, and she slowly responded by offering her hand, which he gripped firmly.

Qrow entered the room at that point.

"All right, quiet down. You all already know why you're here, so I'll cut to the chase."

He tapped the controller in his hand, and the file detailing their next prey showed up on the display.

Several gasps went up.

The image on screen showed a figure somewhat resembling a Spearwolf, but different.

The most obvious difference was size. This creature was on an entirely different scale to the Spearwolves. From the photograph, one could estimate how big it was by comparing it to the trees behind it… which it almost dwarfed. Instead of being quadrupedal, it stood tall on thick hind legs. Its narrow waist curved upwards to a powerful, muscular chest. Its upper limbs were quite long, hanging down below its knees, and each one seemed strong enough to crush the trees in the background with ease. Instead of claws, or even fingers, however, the upper limbs both culminated in long, slightly curved blades. The tail extending from its back was _massive_, around nine feet long, with a spherical end, from which extended organic spikes. Portions of its body, including its torso, thighs, shoulders, arms and neck were covered by a shiny armour that seemed to be made of hardened leather. Unlike the Spearwolved, whose mouths opened to reveal their weaponized tongues, this beast's face was covered by the same armour-like substance that protected its body, leaving only three glowing red eyes visible on its head. There should have been four, but one was punctured, leaving a brutal scar on its face.

"This," said Qrow, "Is the _Wolvenheim."_

_Mutate Species: Wolvenheim.  
Type: Unique  
Danger Rating: Class 2 (Abnormal)  
_  
"Holy shit," said Roman.

Qrow continued, as the Recruits stared in awe.

"If the Spearwolves are the infantry of the Mutate world, then the Wolvenheim is the berserker. The gladiator. The armoured knight. Call him what you will, the point doesn't change: he'll charge right at you, and smash you so hard, your ancestors will feel it."

"How do we beat it?" asked Blake cautiously.

Qrow looked at her a moment before answering.

"The Wolvenheim is a _Unique_ Mutate. Meaning, he is the _only_ one of his kind in the world, that we know of. You're probably wondering why I'm mentioning this, but bear with me. I'm guessing you lot," he said, pointedly looked at Jaune, Pyrrha, Neo and Roman, "being the horny bastards you are, are familiar with what sex drive is. You see, all living beings are kinda sorta smart enough to realize, oh shit, we're going to die one day. So, they propagate, to keep the species alive. It's ingrained in us. A biological fact. Sexually reproducing Mutates are no exception, and as you might imagine, they're aggressive. It's why they've been growing so fast."

Jaune's eyes widened in understanding. He knew where this was going.

"You'll have noticed that I said the Wolvenheim is a 'he'. But he's the only one of his kind. In other words, there are no females for him to mate with. That's a lot of untamed, untapped aggression. The origins of the Wolvenheim are unclear, but we speculate he is an anomalous offspring of Spearwolves, since he exhibits several traits of their anatomy. He is the literal black sheep of nature. Spearwolf packs will react violently to his presence, and needless to say, other Mutate species have no love for him. Thus, he acts alone, and will likely _always _perceive anything he comes across as an enemy."

"His guard is always up…" muttered Blake.

"Correct. I don't think I need to say this, but going toe to toe with him is a _bad _idea. The arm blades are confirmed to be capable of going through _any_ armour we've built so far, and that tail… well, I'll put it this way. That tail is the reason his territory is supposed to be earthquake prone."

As one, everyone in the room gulped.

If the Liminal was the equivalent of a nightmare, then the Wolvenheim was just straight up _intimidating._

"Near-subsonic sprint speed. A natural armour that allows him to shrug off goddamn mortar shells to the face. And you already know how hard he can hit."

"You know, I'm thinking more and more that the Rating system in messed up," said Sun. "How the _fuck_ is something like that Class 2?"

Qrow's glare darkened.

"Yeah, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he's _not_ a standard Class 2 Mutate."

He pointed at the word next to its Class Rating.

_**Abnormal.**_****

"The Wolvenheim is the _only_ recorded Mutate that will straight up, alone, challenge _anything_ he comes across. That beast… has taken on a Nova Wyvern, and lived."

Jaune's eyes widened.

_Mutate Species: Nova Wyvern  
Type: Supergiant, Flying.  
Danger Rating: Class 1_

Nova Wyverns were the reason Bullheads were used so cautiously. They were also the reason why Remnant could not use satellite weaponry anymore, or attempt to send any voyagers to explore space, even if they found the resources somehow. They were the superpredators of the sky, massive beings that spanned upto five hundred metres in size, who breathed plasma.

_That beast has survived fighting a Nova Wyvern?_

Jaune's fists were clenched tight.

The feeling coursing through him was… unfamiliar.

It wasn't the desire he normally felt to hunt Mutates.

No… this was different.

_Envy?_

_**Envy?**_****

Somewhere inside Jaune was a part, that contrary to all human survival instincts, wanted to fight a Nova Dragon. As someone who wanted any and all fights, aiming for one of the strongest creatures in existence was an obvious goal.

But now… he found that someone had been there, and done that, before him.

A _Mutate_, of all things.

"Wipe that grin off your face, Arc. You're creeping the others out," said Qrow drily.

"So it can survive mortal shells, huh? Well, that's fine. I'm going to rip it apart."

Qrow looked at him cautiously.

Arc's Ability was still a wildcard. Almost nothing was known about it. It was true that it had pulled off a miracle once. But there was no telling it could do so again.

Class Ratings were assigned based on a number of factors, key among them being the human death toll associated with a species, and the scale of destruction it could cause. While Liminals had notoriously killed large numbers of humans due to their ambush tactics and sadistic nature, encounters with the Wolvenheim had been relatively few, because his size made his presence obvious, and he did nothing to hide it. Thus, his human kill count was relatively low. There was also the fact that there was only one of him, and an unknown number of Liminals.

But in Qrow's opinion, he was the tougher opponent by far.

"Why the hell are we even being sent to fight this thing? Can we even kill it at all?" asked Coco.

Qrow's anger and frustration burst through in his reply.

"Fuck if I know," he said. "This thing… conventional weaponry is useless against it. Nothing short of a cruise missile or a nuke stands a chance, and doing that will attract a Nova Wyvern. We can't have that happening this close to Vale."

"So what are we supposed to do then?"

"Hope that lightning can strike twice."

He looked at Jaune.

"You took out that Liminal, blew it up from the inside. I'm not going to waste time asking how you did it, but can you do it again, to this guy?"

"Can't tell until I get close to it. It'll depend on the composition of his body. But I think I can destroy it."

Qrow nodded. They both knew it was uncertain, given how little was known about the creature, but it was the only chance they had.

"How do you want to do this?" the older Eliminator asked.

Jaune read through the file, including what was known of the territory the Mutate occupied.

"No overlap with any other known territories. And from what you said, this Wolvenheim seems like the type to murder anything he meets. So I'm guessing the chances of us running into anything else there are small. No point risking unnecessary casualties. We'll try a double attack."

"I'm listening," said Qrow.

Jaune gestured to Pyrrha.

"20 tons of steel heading right for him at a velocity of approximately a thousand miles per hour. Think his armour can withstand that?"  
Qrow nodded.

"Heavy snipe. That's one possibility. I'm guessing you're betting on the projectile at least knocking the breath out of him."

"That's right. If he somehow survives the hit, I'll be waiting close by, and take the chance to go in and finish the job."

"All right, kid. Sounds like a plan. Now how about this: what if you both fail?"

Jaune answered without missing a beat.

"Then this is still the best way. The others will be far enough to make an escape. File says Wolvenheim has good sprint speed, but inferior tracking abilities. If the Bullhead can't swing low on time, they just have to hide and wait it out, then get away later. One casualty is better than losing the entire squad."

"Hey, wait a minute!" interrupted Pyrrha angrily. "Jaune, you can't just run in there for an all-or-nothing move-"

"All right," said Qrow, cutting her off. "I approve. You have six days, Arc. You'll be field captain on this run. Figure out the team's loadout."

And just like that, the veteran walked away, leaving the Recruits arguing angrily in the briefing room.

"Hey, what the hell, man? You trying to get yourself killed?" said Sun. "Have you _seen_ that thing? How can you say for sure you can take it?"

"I can't" said Jaune. "But this method is the best chance of success with the lowest cost if everything goes wrong."

"Lowest cost?" echoed Pyrrha, her voice hollow. "Lowest cost? Jaune, you might _die."_

"And I'm an Eliminator. This is what I signed up for."

"That's… do you not care about dying?"

Jaune raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. And I think I can take it. What's the big deal?"

Everyone stared at him incredulously.

"Jaune," said Ruby. "Do you… know what you're saying?"

"Yeah. It's a one-on-one fight to the death with a Mutate. Your point being?"

No one said a word.

No one knew what to say.

The blithe way he spoke of his own death, as if it were on the same level as a missed rep in the gym, or a loss in a wrestling match, or even losing a coin toss, had them at a loss for words.

Pyrrha herself was struggling to even connect his behaviour to his regular self. The same boy who had, even moments ago, held her hand to reassure her. There was enough of a gap in reasoning to cause cognitive dissonance. It was as if his thinking here was disconnected entirely from who he was in everyday life.

She shook her head, struggling to find the words to express what she was feeling.

But before she could, it was another voice that spoke out.

"So you're just going to put that burden on us?"

Everyone turned to look at Yang, who was glaring at Jaune.

It was the first time she had spoken to him in a week. The brawler had been unusually quiet for days, and Jaune had wondered why she had so suddenly stopped talking to him. He was, of course, entirely clueless about how she felt, mistaken as he was in thinking that she had all this time simply been teasing him for fun, the same way any friend might.

"Burden?" he said.

"Redhead takes her shot at the roided up Mutate. Thing survives. You go in close and try to hax him, but fail. And then he tears you to pieces. The rest of us escape with our lives. You're already dead and gone. Who do you think has to live with the burden of knowing they let you die?"

"That's-" Jaune was the one at a loss for words now. "Why would any of you be carrying a burden. I signed up for this. Dying in the field is part of the job. I was ready for it. How do any of you even figure into it?"

"You're contradicting yourself," said Yang. "I asked you, remember. Think back to what you told me."

Jaune's own words echoed in his head.

_I didn't want you to die. Any of you. That's all._

"If any one of us dying is not a big deal, then why did you want to protect us?"

"I-"

Jaune tried to piece together an argument, but the more he struggled, the more he realized that he couldn't connect a string of logic.

It was like a part of his very thinking process was missing, a gap in reasoning that put one part of himself at odds with another.

"I-"

_I wanted to protect you all. I couldn't let you die._

**I came for a fight. To fight is to kill, or be killed. **_****_

_I couldn't lose you. _

**It is the collateral I must put up.**_****_

_An outcome I can't accept._

**A price I'll gladly pay.**__

_You…_

**I…**

_Must not…_

**Will…**

_**Die.**_

He shook his head, trying to drown out the thoughts.

_Shit! Losing control… Gotta focus._

With an effort, he wrenched his mind out of the endless spiral, and back into the present. It had been a while since he had last had an episode like this. It was best to avoid getting into a conversation that might trigger another.

"It doesn't matter," he said aloud. "This is the best way. The only way. None of you have any other ways, do you? Look, I'm not a fool. I wouldn't take the risk if I didn't think I could pull it off."

With that, he walked away.

Yang watched him go, swearing under her breath.

"Idiot! This is suicide!"

For once, Pyrrha found herself in agreement with her.

"We have to stop him," said Ruby. "We should talk to Qrow and tell him to disapprove this plan."

"Yeah, I wouldn't waste my time on that," said Roman, choosing that moment to speak to a Recruit besides Neo and Jaune. "Qrow is a soldier. He knows what war is. He's got no reason to risk losing any more Recruits by sending backup. Obviously, he shouldn't even be sending us on this mission in the first place."

"Then why is he?" asked Coco.

"Pressure from higher-ups. Which, ultimately, means political pressure. I'm guessing Beacon up and decided they couldn't put up with feeding us, housing us and training us unless we were of some use to them."

The week that passed by was chaotic.

Pyrrha tried her best to convince Jaune to abandon his plan, but to no avail. Several others joined her in trying to do so, but the results remained the same.

Finally, the day of the mission came.

It was on that morning that things started to deviate from plan.

Qrow summoned Yang early, and told her flat out that she would not be participating in the mission.

Her reaction, predictably, had been absolutely furious. Qrow genuinely felt bad for making her feel as though she somehow wasn't good enough, but his priority was keeping her alive.

The rest of the team suited up and headed out, with Qrow this time openly accompanying them.

What _none_ of them knew, was that Yang had stowed away on board.

_**Part III- Three Warriors**_

The Wolvenheim's territory occupied an ancient forest known as Forever Fall, and also included the grassy plains on its outskirts.

One by one, the Recruits lowered themselves down from the Bullhead, descending via rope. Once they were all down, a large metallic object was carefully lowered by electrical winch.

Around ten feet long, and half a foot thick, it was solid all the way through, and cylindrical, culminating in a quad-bladed end with a sharp point.

This was the custom "ballista bolt" that Beacon had forged for Pyrrha. The first line of attack. The redhead hoped it would be the only attack needed. Just for safety, three such bolts had been made, and were placed carefully on the ground. In case she missed, or a single shot didn't do enough damage, she would have three chances.

In every way, this mission appeared to be going differently from the first.

They had landed on hilly upgrowth around a mile away from the forest. From this distance, they had already spotted the Abnormal Mutate through binoculars.

He was an eerie sight. The Wolvenheim was in the middle of a meal.

"He's… _eating_ _a Liminal?_"

There was no mistaking that corpse. The spherical, lump-like body, the massive mouth.

"Petition to have that thing moved up on the Rating system if we survive this," muttered Coco.

"Oh, we'll survive it all right", said Jaune. "Pyrrha, are you ready?"

"Yes," she replied tersely, remaining focused on her binoculars. She didn't need her hands to aim when using her magnetism to throw the bolt, and she was also far more accurate this way than she was with a gun. It had taken some time to get used to judging distance and direction correctly through the lenses, but she had worked on it over the week, and believed she could hit the target.

"I'm moving in," he said. Jumping off the hill, he landed below and sped off to get in position.

"Wait for my signal," said Qrow. Using another pair of binoculars, he was focused on Jaune, waiting for him to get close enough.

Soon, he was hidden, metres away from the target.

"Fire when ready," said Qrow.

As Pyrrha looked on, the Wolvenheim remained focused on its meal, crouched down on all fours as it bit bloody chunks out of the dead Mutate.

The first of the three bolts rose into the air, hovering stationarily next to her.

With a sudden burst of movement, it accelerated forward, blasting ahead with incredible force.

To the redhead's credit, she had done her job perfectly.

Her aim was spot on, connecting clean with the Mutate's head.

[Doom 2016 OST: Olivia's Doom (Chad Mossholder Remix)]

The velocity to which she had managed to accelerate the bolt before it left her field of influence, was great enough that when it struck, an actual shockwave exploded through the air, causing a gust of wind.

But she had _not_ been able to penetrate its armour.

Worse: the impact hadn't even _budged _him.

The bolt flattened itself against the armour-like mask covering his face, and the ground cracked as the beast dug in his heels and planted his blade-hands to prevent himself from being flung backwards.

He had sensed the bolt at the last moment, and stopped it cold, with his face.

"Shit!", swore Pyrrha. Desperate, she "reloaded", lifting up another bolt, and hurling it.

This time, ready for the coming projectile, the creature stood up, and with frightening accuracy and speed, sliced it clean in half with one of its blades.

Not pausing, Pyrrha hurled the final bolt, desperate to do any damage she could.

As if in contempt, the Wolvenheim didn't even use his arms, simply headbutting twenty tons of steel, and utterly crumpling it.

Pyrrha backed away, eyes wide.

"Impossible…"

Qrow shouted into his communicator. It was one thing to attack if the bolts had managed to phase it. But going against something that had no-sold them completely…

"ARC! RETREAT! GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE! RETREA-"

"_Been waiting for this."_

Those were the last words through the channel before it was turned off.

"Arc? ARC! Shit."

Qrow looked through his binoculars, and saw Arc rise out of his hiding place, and walk slowly towards the Wolvenheim, not even attempting stealth.

"Stupid fucking son of a bitch!" swore the Eliminator.

Arc was going through with the plan. And he was going to die for it.

Qrow had approved it knowing the risk, but he had been hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't have to come down to this. Now all they could do was wait and see how it turned out. If Arc couldn't handle him alone with his Ability, sending in backup would only get more people killed.

Hell, Qrow wasn't sure if he himself could take on the Wolvenheim, even with his Ability.

There was a reason this particular Mutate had been given a wide berth, even by his own kind.

It was at this precise moment, that _everything _officially went wrong.

Something sped towards the ground, landing with an impact that shook them all. Qrow turned to see Yang.

The blonde was dressed in full field gear, but not carrying any guns.

"He's doing it, isn't he?" she said aloud.

"Yang, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving a life, sir," replied the brawler without hesitation.

[Doom OST: Hellwalker]

She took out a flask from her belt pouch.

Qrow recognized it immediately from his occasional visits to Beacon's Research Division.

This was an experimental compound with a calorific value per unit mass that was roughly fifty times that of standard Bullhead fuel.

Unscrewing the cork, she brought the flask to her mouth.

"Don't do it, kid!"

"Sorry, Uncle Qrow. Payback's a bitch, and I'm paying this bitch back."

Turning to Pyrrha, she flipped her the middle finger as she downed the contents of the flask. All of it.

All of it came down to this.

She understood Jaune. Better than anyone.

Better than he understood himself, in some ways.

She knew why he was willing to save others, but risk his own life for the sake of a fight.

You couldn't quite explain something like that with logic.

But she knew that's how he was.

Someone who could care, and love… and have an insatiable urge to fight.

She knew, because she too would willingly sacrifice herself to protect the ones she held dear.

They were the same, and she was damned if she was going to give him up to anyone.

She couldn't get him to see her by being a friend.

No, that was precisely her mistake.

She didn't want _friendship_ from him in the first place.

Well, that was fine.

Today, he _would_ see her.

Almost immediately after the fuel went down her throat, she felt her insides sear, as if on fire. She was familiar with this feeling from using Bullhead fuel. But then, a moment passed, and the pain didn't fade. It continued to burn. She could still feel the liquid inside her, even as her body redirected it, sending coursing through her veins, making her feel as though flames were crawling through her.

Then, her cells began to absorb it.

Her eyes didn't turn red.

They glowed red.

Once.

Twice.

The third time, they stayed red.

Her muscles strained, struggling to contain power beyond anything the human body should be able to hold. Every fibre striated, sharply defined through her skin. Veins stood out as she clenched her teeth, struggling not to move; she felt like the slightest movement would cause her to lose control and tear herself to pieces.

She continued to hold still, getting used to the power, as it converted itself to raw physical strength.

To maintain internal body temperature, her glands were exuding hot air, pushing her hair upwards, making it look like flames.

"Getting there. Yeah… that's it. There we go."

She curled her fingers a few times, then relaxed and stood up straight.

As if to test her power, she flicked her forefinger in the air.

A moment later, a depression like a bullet hole appeared in the ground.

"That'll do."

Turning her attention in the direction they had been looking through their binoculars, she exploded into a sprint.

The initial kick of her feet cratered the ground, sending boulder sized chunks of earth flying.

Everyone shielded their eyes from the gust of wind.

Ruby struggled and managed to open them just enough that she saw her sister vanish even from her sight.

Less than a moment later, an explosive boom followed.

"Sonic speed? No way…"

**Roughly 10 seconds ago.**

Jaune approached the Wolvenheim, who turned his attention upon him.

"Well, big guy, you're not shabby. I'll give you that. But there can only be one at the top of the mountain."

Instead of drawing his swords, he charged forward bare handed.

Jaune had figured more out about the monster than he had revealed.

The fact that he had a missing eye meant that he was not a Regenerator type. Judging by the complexity of his body's design, he was likely not a Zombie type either, since there would be no need then for armour to protect his vitals.

These two facts put together meant that destroying the brain would kill it, and it would be affected by destruction of its bodily tissue.

Jaune didn't actually need to know what he was composed of, since he wasn't planning to rearrange anything.

He was planning to rip him apart, just like he'd said.

Bit by bit, molecule by molecule, 30 kilos of them at a time.

It was a good plan, but it was an all-or-nothing.

Which is why, Jaune wasn't ready for the snag it ran into.

As he entered his three feet of telekinetic range and reached out with his field, he was not able to touch the Wolvenheim's body at all.

_What the…?_

It was as if there was a narrow field, barely a micrometre or so wide, that was surrounding his body.

Everything else was getting through.

Air. Dust. Metal. All able to touch him.

All except Jaune's telekinesis.

The truth hit him

_He's a self-protecting telekinetic._

  
As he realized this fact, a massive arm swung outwards, catching him in the chest.

Jaune felt the breath knocked out of him, as he was launched backwards twenty feet through the air, till he landed on the ground, splitting the soil as he skid along it, till he finally came to a stop.

He sat up slowly.

_Okay. He's packing some power._

Jaune checked himself. He could still breath, and his heart was still beating. A telekinetic check told him his rib cage wasn't broken. The blow still hurt, but there was no time to think about it.

He backflipped out of the way just in time, as the mace-like tail struck the spot where he'd been less than a second ago.

Even in the air, Jaune could feel the shockwave from the hit that hadn't even connected.

_So Qrow wasn't lying about the earthquakes._

He landed five feet away.

If his telekinesis wouldn't work, then he'd kill him the old fashioned way.

He unsheathed his twin swords.

And for a moment, the two stared each other down.

Mutate and Empowered.

Both warriors.

Both loners.

Both the best twin sword wielders of their respective worlds.

And just for a moment, they understood each other.

And then they charged.

[Doom OST: Rip and Tear]

The exchange lasted only two seconds, but more than fifty blows went back and forth.

Never before in his life had Jaune's skill been tested to that extent.

Slash, parry, dodge, move.

It took every last ounce of his speed and technique to avoid being cut in half or run through.

_Your title as Abnormal is well earned. You aren't just a Mutate. You're an outstanding warrior._

It was almost as if it was fate.

This lonely, isolated beast, that had struggled on his own against the world, was like a mirror reflection of Jaune.

And like him, he was a genius fighter.

As for the monster, he too understood.

While he had no words, no trappings of language, he understood that the puny creature in front of him was the only equal he had ever faced. Despite being less than half his size, this runt was holding his own, and incredibly, not backing down.

But in the end, nature's best duelist would not be denied.

The better of the two swordsmen won.

With a blinding display of instinct and skill, nature was indeed proven to be the pinnacle of martial arts.

The Wolvenheim trapped both Jaune's swords in a lock, and before he could react, spun his arms and slashed again, hitting the blades dead centre without giving the human a chance to slide or parry to dissipate the force.

Jaune's modified swords shattered.

Triumphantly, the beast roared and struck out with an unexpected kick, sending Jaune flying backwards once more.

_**Present time:**_

Yang halted her movement, going into a crouch to arrest her momentum, once more shattering the ground. She looked up just in time to see Jaune being hurled back, only to land next to her.

"Wow, you don't look like you're doing so good."

In reply, Jaune groaned and sat up.

This time, three ribs were broken. Breathing was hard, and blood trickled from his mouth. He lay back down again.

"Jaune!"

Yang rushed over to him.

"You okay?"

"Just injured," Jaune grunted. "But that's about to change real soon."

He looked pointedly at the Mutate.

Curiously, the monster had not attacked the new arrival, nor made a move on his downed opponent.

Yang nodded, her eyes firm.

"Rest easy. I'll take it from here."

Jaune was willing to protect the ones he cared for. And if he felt they had no chance, he could not let them risk their lives. That was why he could not have allowed anyone else to face the Wolvenheim. Yet, when he saw Yang now, he knew something was different.

So he simply asked.

"Yang… are you sure?"

She smiled, understanding his words, and that he wasn't looking down on her.

That one moment went a long way between them.

"It's all right. _I came to Beacon for a fight too."_

[Soundtrack: Thousand Foot Krutch- Courtesy Call]

Yang stepped up to her opponent, her eyes blazing fire.

From the moment she saw him, she knew.

This creature was the same as Jaune, the same as her.

Three warriors.

She was glad to be here.

Contrary to what was believed, Yang's fighting style was not random swings.

She took up a stance, arms up in front of her face, front leg slightly raised, in a Muay Thai guard.

"Come on."

Jaune had by now managed to initiate self repairs using his Ability to knit his damaged tissue together and reconstruct his bones. He sat up, and watched Yang stand in front of the Wolvenheim.

_She's going head to head with him?!_****

Acknowledging her challenge with a roar, the beast charged forward, looking to run her clean through with his arm blade.

Moving her torso minimally as she turned on one foot, she avoided the thrust.

With that same movement, she continued the pivot, smashing the Mutate's calf with a savage leg kick.

The impact shook the ground around them.

Jaune's eyes widened.

_She had that kind of strength?_

The Wolvenheim roared in pain, and Yang followed up the combo.

Left body blow.  
Right body blow x 2.  
Switch body kick.  
Rising knee strike.

The knee, delivered with her enhanced strength, and utilizing proper Muay Thai form, smashed into the beasts chin, and the impossible happened.

Jaune's eyes widened.

The Wolvenheim's armour had cracked.

Taking a step back, Yang struck out with a front kick, sending the gigantic beast flying backwards through several tree trunks.

"Come on," said Yang. "I know you've got more than that."

A moment later, she was scrambling to dodge.

The Wolvenheim had closed the gap and taken the offensive.

His movements were aggressive, every swing of his blades leaving gouges in the earth from the air pressure it generated.

And he was using his legs too.

Several times, he caught Yang with low kicks of his own, breaking her posture.

_He's learning as he fights._

And he continued to do so, switching up his sword style attacks with a variety of knee strikes, and unpredictably backing away to attack with his massive tail.

By the time the two finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily. Yang was bleeding from her mouth, and had bruised on her forearms, thighs and calves. The Wolvenheim's armour had crumbled away in several places, exposing his stomach, thighs, calves and head.

"Hey, Jaune… I'm on my last legs here. This guy… he's ridiculously strong. I'm going to try one last attack. It'll be able to daze him long enough for you to get away. So don't waste this chance. Live."

Jaune felt anger surging in him.

"Like hell I will! I can't leave you to die here! I refuse!"

"_So now you know how I feel." _

Jaune fell silent. Struggling, he managed to pull himself to his feet.

For the first time in his life, he had seen Yang Xiao Long.

_**Part IV: Like a Dragon**_

[OST: Yakuza- Tonight]

And so, the proud warrior in Jaune did something he had never done before.

"Then let's take him on together."

Yang turned to look at him, not even afraid of being hit when her back was turned. Not with this opponent.

As she looked into Jaune's eyes, she saw it.

She had finally made it through.

It hadn't been the moment they had shared after their first mission.

It hadn't been the times they had spent together since, laughing, joking.

They had been friends then.

This.

Right here and now.

This was the moment their journey was truly beginning.

The moment they were finally standing before each other, revealed for who they truly were, in a way only the battlefield could.

And she nodded.

"Show me what you got then."

Ignoring the pain, Jaune stood tall, and reached deep within himself.

No matter who or what he fancied himself, he had been forced to acknowledge the Mutate he had faced this day.

The Wolvenheim was stronger than him. And stronger than Yang.

There was no reason to hold back _that_ secret then. Not anymore.

When modifying his body, Jaune had programmed a function into his brain. A switch, if you will.

And he flipped it now.

"_**Limiters removed."**_

The human body has mechanisms to prevent dangerous levels of exertion, and this includes mechanisms to prevent the nervous system from fully utilizing the muscular system under ordinary circumstances.

Jaune had programmed the limiter removal switch into his body, which temporarily overrode his body's safety mechanisms, and allowed his nervous system to recruit one hundred percent of his muscle fibres. At the same time, a flood of hormones were released, their overall effect being to dull the pain, to heighten his aggression and convert it into focus, and enhance his perception and reaction speed.

It was a beast mode he could enter at will, the caveat being that he was now controlling these powerful systems manually. If his judgement was wrong, and he overdid it, he would end up tearing his body apart.

In so many ways, it was similar to Yang's Ability, and she immediately spotted the symptoms that marked it as such.

The increase in muscle tension and vascularity. The head radiating from the sweat glands. The blond hair rising like fire.

Adjusting to the increased strength, Jaune walked over to Yang, and took his stance at her side.

The Wolvenheim sensed the increase in his battle power, his impeccable instincts recognizing it immediately.

He also realized, though he might not be able to put in words, that neither of his two opponents seemed ready to die anymore.

No, something had changed.

The light in their eyes.

It was no longer the fear he saw in his prey. A fear that led to a desperate struggle to fight, or escape.

No, this light was different.

He had seen it once before, in the mightiest foe he had ever faced.

The beast of the sky, which had roared with the power of the sun, and whose eyes had glowed like stars.

Those eyes held no fear.

If the Wolvenheim could have spoken, if he had had a human's perspective, he would have said…

That those eyes held hope.

Finally acknowledging the ones before him as warriors and not prey, the Wolvenheim welcomed this. In his mind, this was his second chance at fighting the Nova Wyvern, the undying dragon of the sky.

Unleashing a savage roar, his Mutate physiology, driven by his instinct, achieved the same feat Yang and Jaune had, removing its own limiters, and bringing forth every last ounce of its enormous power. His muscles bulged, the remainder of his armour cracking away like dust as his body discarded it as unnecessary. His arm blades protruded out even further, the bone-like tissue that formed them growing, until it was not two short swords it wielded anymore, but two zweihanders.

Each blade glowed red.

Jaune did not realize, since he had already given up on using his telekinesis in this fight, but the Wolvenheim no longer had his instinctual shield up. Instead, his telekinesis was being utilized as raw energy, to boost the cutting power of his swords.

"You ready?" chorused Yang and Jaune. "_**COME ON!"**_

All three warriors were strained to the limit. Jaune had not had time to heal fully, while Yang and the Wolvenheim both had injuries of their own. Having to boost themselves beyond their limits on top of that meant that each of them only had enough left for one last exchange.

Making a mistake here would be fatal.

And in that moment, the bond Yang and Jaune had formed held true.

In trying to take on two opponents at once, the Wolvenheim swung both his swords at once. With his focus divided, both Yang and Jaune were able to dodge his slashes by a hair's breadth: the few millimetres of error from trying to hit two moving targets at once.

And the Mutate had now extended into a position from which it couldn't react in time.

Swinging behind him, Yang grabbed onto his shoulders and leapt, leveraging herself up to catch him in the base of the neck with a brutal knee strike, rendering him immobile.

Not letting up, she used the last of her energy to deliver a roundhouse kick that launched the now stiff body of the Mutate towards Jaune.

He was ready and waiting.

As the Mutate came stumbling towards him, he spun, using rotation, hip and torso drive to strike him with the absolute strongest rising kick he could muster.

A shockwave exploded outwards from the point of the impact, shattering the ground around them in a ten foot radius, as the massive body of the beast was sent flying, tens of feet into the air.

Jaune immediately jumped. His legs burned with agony, but he ignored him.

The ground broke further, now resembling a meteor landing site.

In seconds, he overtook the Wolvenheim, flying above him in the air.

His legs were already fried, and would need time to recover.

So this last blow would have to be delivered with upper body movement alone.

"Farewell," he said. "You were the real deal."

He turned himself over as he dished out a final, utterly devastating haymaker that near-instantly accelerated the Wolvenheim's body to blinding speed.

It landed with a crash that sent spiderweb like cracks along the earth from the point of impact, for as far as the eye could see. The ground was smashed, the body of the Mutate twenty feet below the surface, where it lay smoking.

_All right,_ thought Jaune. _We did it._

_Wait._

_How do I stop falling?_

In his exhausted state, he could not properly use his Ability to slow down his descent. And he would not be able to stick the landing at his current speed.

_Well, shit. I hope the Medical Wing has good beds. _

As he fell, however, a golden blur leapt at him, catching him out of the air.

Yang had been saving just enough for one last burst, because she had a feeling Jaune would try something batshit crazy.

She landed with a slight stumble, but managed to avoid crashing. Almost right away, her legs gave out, and she collapsed… right on top of Jaune.

Their faces were inches from each other.

"So you are one dense guy, you know that?" she said, without preamble.

"I've been told so," said Jaune.

"Well, I don't care. I like being straightforward. So I'll say it to your face. _Jaune Arc, I like you."_

Without waiting for an answer, she lowered her lips onto Jaune's.

And, to her immense pleasure, she felt him lean into the kiss as well. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: So it's been a while since the last upload. Don't worry, story is still going on. I will try to upload whenever I can. This time, it's a short chapter, but I think it's very important. It shows the moment Jaune takes a big step towards becoming the man he ultimately will be.**

**Chapter 7: Value of a Life**

"Careful. He's hurt."

"It's all right. I've got it."

The man who had wheeled the stretcher into the room backed away slowly, allowing the other to approach. Grabbing hold of the bars, she pulled till it was adjacent to the table in the centre of the room. Pausing, she looked at the unconscious boy in front of her. At around six feet, he was on the taller side. His physique was powerful, thick muscles clearly showing through on every inch of his frame, even through the protective suit Eliminator Recruits wore. It was an unusually balanced body, almost unnatural in its proportions. Most people who trained for performance focused either on explosive movement, and thus had more wiry frames, or for maximum strength, leading to bulkier bodies. On the other hand, those who trained for aesthetics kept in mind things like proportion and leanness. At a certain point, one had to choose between the three paths, and even then, no human body was perfect. Every individual had their own advantages and limitations. This boy… he was an anomaly. His body had the density and mass of one who trained for absolute strength, but was also lean and supple, and had about as close to perfect proportions as anyone with his frame could. It was as if someone had taken an elite fighter, athlete, powerlifter, and bodybuilder, and _somehow _managed to combine them.

All of these observations took the woman only a second to make. She had seen hundreds of patients and bodies before, and knew the human anatomy intimately well.

_This level of development at his age… it's not possible by normal means. No… even with the best known diet, a painstakingly designed training program, and a cocktail of drugs… this body is impossible._

She looked at his face. He looked young, as indeed he was. A strong jaw led upwards to well-defined features. But there were unmistakable signs there. Signs that would be visible to those who knew. The creases under and around the eyes, the tension in the forehead even when he was unconscious. The marks of untold hours' worth of effort and thought. Nobody at twenty three years should possess these signs of age: they were reserved for when one got older. But it appeared he had faced trials already.

_So this is the rumoured Prodigy Recruit._ _The hope of Beacon._

"This is Jaune Arc?" she asked, turning to Qrow for confirmation. It was just a formality, but the man nodded anyway.

Turning her attention back to the boy, she raised her hand. In response, the clasps and zips on his suit began to come off, and his clothing was removed, via telekinetic force. At this point, his body rose into the air, and floated to the side, till it was right above the examination and procedure table. Here, it was brought down gently.

"I can take it from here," said the woman, adjusting her glasses and putting on a pair of sterile gloves.

"I'm staying," said Qrow firmly. "He's the best soldier I've got right now."

The woman said nothing. The boy's body was damaged, but it shouldn't be anything permanent. Still, she could not blame Qrow for worrying.

"Fine," she said. "But please stay to the sides, and refrain from obstructing or distracting me."

He nodded, and backed away to the far wall, giving her her space.

And so, Glynda Goodwitch, Chief Doctor and Bioscientist at Beacon, began work.

Unlike Jaune, her own telekinesis operated on a macro level, and thus, she could not manipulate individual molecules or atoms. Thus, she relied on high tech equipment to diagnose the state of his body, and treat him accordingly.

What she found during the course of the procedure was _extremely_ fascinating. Even more so because she knew she was barely past the surface of the mystery that was Jaune Arc. It took her about half an hour to finish up, at which point she discarded her gloves, and turned to Qrow.

"I'm done."

"Is he going to be all right?"

"That's the thing," said Goodwitch. "He's already almost fine."

Qrow's eyes widened momentarily.

"What?!"

"I will rephrase that. He had three broken ribs, clearly from some kind of external blunt force trauma. In addition, most of his major muscles had suffered damage to their fibres, from unusual levels of exertion. Also, his nervous system showed the exhaustion that generally follows this degree of intense activity. However, while in most cases it would take the nerves and brain a considerable amount of time to recover properly, Mr. Arc turned out to be a little… different."

"What do you mean?"

"The chemical levels in his body were stable, and oriented towards recovery by the time you brought him in. This meant that the nervous system was in a low-power state, rejuvenating. The muscles, which should have been fried, were already undergoing protein synthesis, rebuilding themselves. In addition, there were no loose bone fragments inside, which means his body must have already processed and eliminated them, either by removal, or by converting them to another form."

Qrow's head reeled from the information. Self-repair at that level was unheard of for someone whose Ability was not outright regeneration, or some kind of shape shifting

"I could go into details, but the point I'm driving at is that Mr. Arc's body was already in repair mode, so invasive surgery would not only have been unnecessary, it would have been detrimental. I have bandaged him to support his ribs, and injected an amount of our synthetic compound, which contains proteins, energy, and catalysts to speed up recovery. An examination showed that his body is capable of processing all of these, so it should be able to use it on its own to finish its healing."

"How long will it take him to recover?" Qrow asked, mouth slightly dry.

"He will be awake in an hour. He should be able to move around on his own by this evening. And he will be fit for action by tomorrow, provided he gets food and rest."

"That's…"

Qrow stopped, on the verge of saying "impossible".

But the Mutates had showed that that word meant nothing.

The Mutants had shown the same thing. Even Qrow's own ability was the stuff science fiction and fantasy were once made of.

And then the Empowered had pushed the limits of what was considered possible even further.

Finally, there was Jaune.

Jaune, who had taken the word "impossible", and discarded it as a bygone tool of a forgotten age.

"What else can you tell me about him?" Qrow asked. He was not normally a fan of examining someone's body without their consent, but in this case, they had needed to treat the boy, if only to supplement his own healing abilities.

Glynda's eyes shone slightly.

"The structure is different. The chemical composition of his bones, his muscles, large parts of his nervous system… they're all different. It's too complex to analyse in such a short time. In fact, I doubt I could understand it even in a year. But here is what I know for sure. It is organic, though it shows many physical properties at a level that is… highly unusual for any organic substance. The anatomical arrangement is different too. The bones are thicker. In particular the spine, the pelvis and the sternum, most likely to provide a stronger core. Speaking of strength, his muscles have the same origin points, though their insertions and attachments are slightly different. Instead of tying in directly, many of them appear to attach diagonally, providing better leverage and mechanics, and increased cross sectional surface area, both of which enhance how much force they can exert by contracting. Of course, given the fact that they are made of a different substance than human muscles to begin with, it is obvious they'd be stronger anyway. But the added benefits of specialized mechanical structuring optimize their function even further. His nervous system shows electromagnetic activity that seems in line with controlling and regulating this powerful body. I have already mentioned the unusual hormonal behaviour before. This seems tied in to the way his brain functions. And finally, it is quite likely his sense organs are sharper than average."

She paused after her "short" explanation, and summed it up.

"He is the _perfect_ warrior. This is _not_ the result of natural mutation, Qrow. It's too specific. Too… deliberate."

The veteran Eliminator felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at Jaune's unconscious visage.

_What the hell is he?_

He shook his head.

_I don't get to judge. He is our best hope. Nothing more, nothing less._

Turning over every piece of information he knew, he remembered how he had destroyed the Liminal, and how he had said he would "tear apart" the Wolvenheim.

Something clicked.

The idea was ridiculous.

It was absurd.

And it was _terrifying._

"Matter manipulation," he muttered.

"What?" asked Glynda sharply.

"Matter manipulation," Qrow repeated. "That's how he blew up the Liminal. That's why he was confident he could take on the Wolvenheim. And that's how he made himself… into _this._"

Dead silence in the lab.

Dead silence, as the Doctor and the Eliminator both took in the significance of the possibility. Its enormity. Its impact.

Then, quick as an arrow, Glynda made to reach for her communication device, only for Qrow to react even quicker, and grab her wrist, stopping her.

She shot a razor sharp glare at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't tell Ozpin," Qrow blurted out before he could stop himself.

Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, he swore internally, regretting them. But it was too late. He couldn't take them back now.

Glynda narrowed her eyes.

"Have you taken leave of your senses? The General must-"

"Think, Glynda!" said Qrow, urgently. In the last moment, his humanity had won over his self-preservation. "What do you think is going to happen when Ozpin finds out? These modifications… they are _deliberate. _Not a mutation. Not an accident of nature. Which means… _they can be replicated._"

Glynda understood immediately what he meant.

That unique body.

That terrifying Ability.

They were untapped resources. Precious, precious treasure.

Already, Ozpin was curious about him.

If he had any idea of his true nature…

"His life will be as good as over," she said aloud.

He would be turned into a lab rat. No, worse. He would be turned into a cadaver. Something to be taken apart and studied. Ozpin had been patient so far because there was no known way to understand which genes caused the Empowerment mutation, and thus, no way to study them. If he learnt that someone had managed to come this far on his own, he would get that information out of him by any means necessary. And then, he would use that information to experiment. With it in hand, there would be no reason to be gentle with Jaune, to spare him. And so, he would be dissected, as Beacon would be put on the path to creating supersoldiers.

Glynda understood that humankind needed warriors. She understood that well.

But she was also smart enough to realize that the results Jaune had been able to achieve might not be replicable at all. That if they destroyed him, there might never be another like him. And if that happened, there would be no one to take his place.

But more than that, no matter her cold exterior, she, like Qrow, had a heart.

One that could not justify sacrificing a person, no matter how many lives it _might_ save.

"Fine," she whispered. "The data will be destroyed. We'll tell him we weren't able to discover how his Ability worked, and that we found generic superhuman traits in him. It's what our results have always been so far, when studying Empowered."

Qrow bowed his head slightly.

"I'll tell him he's a good soldier, that I'm working on getting him to spill more about himself. That, along with the fact that a Class 2 Abnormal was taken down, should keep him happy for now."

The two said nothing for a while, as their decision sunk in.

On a whim, they had done something they were not supposed to.

By law, both of them had violated Beacon rules.

This was their secret now. Their burden.

"Thanks, Glynda," said Qrow softly.

"Just… I hope we don't regret this."

They both turned to the blond warrior, still unconscious as his body repaired itself. Their hopes were on him now.

"Qrow… you should go. I know there's somewhere else you need to be. Go. He'll be fine."

The man nodded, relieved.

"Thanks."

With that, he rushed off, leaving her with Jaune.

Glynda waited, going over her findings from the examination, and doctoring the data to make sure Ozpin wouldn't glean anything from it. One of the advantages of working in a medical lab was that this was one of the few facilities in Beacon that wasn't under real-time surveillance, and its computer system was also not accessible remotely. So, nothing that happened here travelled outside. Not until she chose to reveal it herself.

When she was satisfied, she grabbed herself a coffee, noting with distaste how the action reminded her of Ozpin. As she took a sip, her attention was attracted by stirring from the procedure table. She walked over, to find that the boy had opened his eyes.

Jaune looked up, noting the ceiling lights, and the white surroundings, which immediately gave away the fact that he was in a medical facility.

"Mr. Arc. How do you feel?"

He turned to see a woman looking down at him, coffee mug in hand. She was tall, taller than Jaune, with light blonde hair sharply tied back in a bun. A pair of spectacles rested on her nose. A pair of green eyes looked into his own.

"I've been worse," he answered. He recalled the battle against the Mutate. Instead of sitting up, he decided to scan himself using his telekinesis. He was relieved to find that the damage was nothing worse than he had thought initially, and was already in the process of being healed. Nevertheless, he was still sore, and did not risk trying to sit up.

"I see," said the woman. "Certainly, this appears to be nothing you are incapable of handling. That is rather strange, Mr. Arc. Tell me: do you make a habit of fighting Class 2 Mutates?"

"That was my first one," he replied. "I just go in with preparations made. Evidently, not enough though."

His mind was racing now. He was here in a medical facility (no doubt somewhere in Beacon), and this woman (obviously a doctor) was greeting him as soon as he woke up. He had also detected some foreign substances in his body, which he recognized as medicinal compounds. He had been treated… and that meant she had taken a look at him.

_How much does she know? Did they take samples? Do they understand my structure?_

As if reading his worries, she spoke out at that exact moment.

"I was able to examine you, Mr. Arc, although only cursorily. Your body is quite unlike anything I have seen before. Rest assured: your secret is safe. Qrow and myself are the only ones who know."

That put Jaune's mind at rest, at least to an extent.

Once he'd gotten over the initial impression of him as an asshole, he had had Qrow as a dependable guy who, despite working for Beacon, wasn't really an authority figure, nor someone who blindly obeyed. Jaune was always cautious, but he had some degree of trust in him.

It appeared that trust had paid off.

And this woman was claiming she'd keep his secret too. Well, if Qrow knew her, then he supposed she must be all right. At any rate, there was nothing he could do now. They already knew.

Jaune disliked being in a position where he wasn't in complete control. Which is why it was surprising to him that he was able to so easily accept the fact that these two knew his secret, or at least a part of it.

"I'd have thought your first move would be to share this information with the rest of Beacon," he said finally. "This seems like exactly the kind of thing that you guys need. Something you'd love to study. Love to use."

The woman's expression remaining stoic.

"There are indeed many here who would pay a high price to discover the truth about you, Mr. Arc."

"So why keep it from them?"

"Because, despite the body you inhabit, you are a human being, Mr. Arc."

That, of all the answers he could have received, shocked him.

Humbled, he closed his eyes.

"Thanks," he muttered.

"You are welcome. But I do advise you to be more cautious in the future. While the damage this time was not beyond your ability to recover from, it is risky to subject yourself to such stress."

"I'm an Eliminator. It's not like I can live a quiet life."

"You are a Recruit," Glynda corrected him. "And yes, it is true that you will be risking your life in battle again. Even so, given your abilities, I think a better way is possible."

Jaune bit his lip.

She was right, and he knew it.

He had screwed up. Big time.

It wouldn't have been a problem if he was alone.

He had accepted long ago that pain and death are both possible outcomes in a fight, and that he was risking both by entering one.

There was never anyone else to depend on before, anyone else who would put themselves in danger to save him.

Until now.

He hadn't accepted and acknowledged that fact. Hadn't even known it.

That was how he had almost gotten Yang killed.

_I was... confused._

Pain and death are the risks one takes by fighting, and Jaune fought knowing that.

But he could not accept the outcome where the ones he cared about suffered that same fate.

He had been unable to reconcile these two contradictory facts before.

But he could now.

When one cares about someone else, they don't want them to be hurt. They don't want them to die.

That was why he had chosen to fight the Wolvenheim alone. Deep inside, he had wanted to protect the others.

And as for Yang coming in to save him…

_It was because she cared about him._

And so, she could not allow him to get hurt, or to die.

It was this act of viewing himself through the eyes of another that allowed Jaune to see what he had long ago lost sight of.

_The value of his own life._

And suddenly, it came crashing down on him.

Ten years' worth of risks.

Ten years' worth of insane self experiments, any of which could have been fatal, or worse.

Ten years' worth of pushing himself past all limits.

And six years of getting into fight after fight, risking death each time.

_What have I been fighting for? All of it… for what? Just my own satisfaction? Just to prove a few people wrong?_

_**My goal was not worth dying for.**_ ****

"Yang…" he said aloud. "Is she okay?"

"Her condition is critical, from what I have heard," said Glynda. "She is currently being treated as we speak. Take heed, Mr. Arc. She almost died to save you."

Jaune immediately tried to sit up, only for Glynda to stop him, gently placing her hands on his chest.

"Don't be a fool. Do you want her efforts to be in vain? You must rest, and recover."

"You don't understand. I can help her."

Glynda's eyes widened. She understood what he meant.

But could he really do that?

Could he really use his Ability, which Qrow thought was matter manipulation, to heal Yang?

She shook her head.

Regardless, she could not allow him to attempt it in his current condition.

"You will need a day to recover, Mr. Arc."

"Then put her on stasis until then. If you can't treat her confidently, then wait. If you can just keep her alive till tomorrow… I can save her."

She stared him right in the eye.

"That is not a claim to be lightly made, Mr. Arc. Even if it is true you can do it, we cannot just allow an untrained individual to attempt medical treatment."

Jaune clenched his teeth, once more reminded of how monumental his failure was. Of course they wouldn't want him just going in there and trying his hand. That wasn't how medicine worked. Just because he had been crazy enough to risk who knows what physical defect in order to modify his own body, didn't mean anyone else would share the same insanity, and allow him to try healing them.

Ten years of chasing after his goal, had led to this.

He was powerless to do anything, to save one of the only people he had ever cared about.

The one who had taught him to value his own life.

With no other choice, Jaune did something he never did.

"Then please, save her."

This heartfelt plea, coming from the infamous Prodigy Recruit, who was always self-sufficient, and believed in doing everything himself, managed to shake Glynda.

In a rare moment, she smiled slightly.

"There is a Doctor with her, and they are trying their best. Have some faith, Jaune."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: A Healer and A Weapon**

Jaune walked slowly, trying to avoid any sudden movements. While a great part of the damage he had sustained had already been healed, he still wanted to take it easy. His self-recovery abilities were strongest when he was sleeping, and when he had plenty of protein and fuel in his body. Which meant, he wouldn't be back to a hundred percent until he had eaten and gotten some sleep, neither of which would be happening until later that night. Still, he was obviously fit to move around, which meant there was no point to staying in the medical wing any longer. He had decided to go back to the Recruit living quarters.

Once upon a time, the only things on his mind at a time like this would be food and sleep, and what he would be doing the next morning to get even stronger. That would be all. Fight, recover, train, recover, fight. Repeat. Live from one battle to the next. That was what he had done, since he had left the Arc home at age seventeen. For six years, that was how he had lived. Not once during that time had he faltered, or questioned his goals. No matter the difficulty, no matter the challenge, he had persevered, and come out on top. He had stood alone, and never thought that things might ever be otherwise. Then, he had come to Beacon. And now, everything was different.

His logic, once a sure guide for him to follow, a roadmap as straight as an arrow, now led him down winding paths. His emotions, once as immovable as a mountain, were now in chaos. Everything was different.

Because his entire world had been built on the foundation of him being alone.

And he no longer was.

He wasn't just fighting for himself anymore.

Somehow, he had come to care about his fellow Recruits.

In particular, there were two of them.

Pyrrha, for whom he admitted he had feelings.

And Yang, who had taught him the value of his own life.

_What is Yang to me anyway?_

He couldn't answer that question. He didn't know what she was to him, not anymore. And a part of him was scared to find out.

And right now, she was somewhere in the medical wing, struggling, condition critical, while he could do nothing to help.

_This Ability I've cultivated for ten years. It's so easy to do things when it's me. I thought I was unbeatable. And so easily, the illusion of power slips away._

Never once in his life had Jaune truly truly saw any situation as unchangeable. Even as a child who thought he didn't have an Ability, he had never even considered the possibility that he would not fight. As a boy honing that same complex Ability, and coming to terms with its limitations, and its enormous power, he had never thought it would be beyond him to use properly. And as a teenager altering his own body, molecule by molecule, manipulating his own DNA, playing with the countless possible combinations, and through a combination of skill and luck, arriving at the right ones, he had never thought he could fail. As a young man who had ventured into the darkest parts of Vale to fight, no holds barred, against those with Abilities of their own, and those without, he had never thought he could lose.

No matter what he was up against, Jaune had _always believed_ he could find a way, and he had. Even when his body had screamed in agony as he had remade its muscles. Even as he had had to kill parts of himself temporarily, paralysing himself while he altered his bones. Even when he had been stabbed, or outnumbered a hundred to one, every one of his opponents an Empowered. Never once had he stopped believing in his own power over his fate, his ability to control his world.

Never once, until now, had Jaune felt helpless.

Yang was struggling, and there was nothing he could do.

Silently, he made his way to the Living Quarters, and entered as the door slid open for him.

He looked up as they did, and saw every single person inside turn towards him.

For a moment, not a word was said.

Then…

"Jaune!"

Faster than he expected, a black and red blur shot towards him, and he quickly moved aside, causing Ruby to pout that she had missed.

"Sorry. Still sore, can't take an impact like that right now."

Her expression immediately changed to one of concern.

"I'm glad you're okay. When we found you guys, neither of you were moving, and we thought…"

She trailed off, unwilling to say what Jaune already knew.

To her utter surprise, the blond reached out and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair slightly.

"I'm not that fragile," he said, with a forced smile, realizing, even as he forced that smile, that the expression on his face right now was the exact same one he had seen on the faces of countless people in Vale. On Eliminators, bidding their families goodbye. On fathers and mothers, as they left for work. On people trying to assure the ones they cared about that everything was okay.

_I see now. You were all stronger than I imagined. _

Ruby's eyes widened, unaware as she was of any of the thoughts going through his head. To her, the Jaune she had last seen was a Jaune who, while he was beginning to open up to them, was still very much a private person. A Jaune who relished fighting, and would respond to someone's worries by giving the scientific reason for why they were baseless.

None of it matched _this_ Jaune, who could perform the simple human act of _reassuring_ someone.

The change in his demeanour wasn't lost on the others too, most of whom stared at him in surprise, even awe.

He hesitated slightly. What came next wasn't going to be easy, but he had resolved to do it already.

"About your sister… about Yang… I'm sorry. She's still in the medical wing. They're treating her. She'll be all right."

He didn't know that for sure.

But he couldn't leave these words unsaid. He owed Ruby at least that much.

His words had reminded her of her sister's condition, and once more, her expression trembled, and once more, Jaune put that same fake smile on his face, refusing to let any of his doubts or fears show.

"Yang isn't that fragile either. Chin up, she'll be okay."

It was easy to school his facial features to feign confidence. And his hands never shook anyway.

It was an absolute facade, something he had no faith in.

But somehow, it managed to convince Ruby, who smiled slightly, eyes still wet.

With a final nod, Jaune slowly walked past, feeling more weary than ever.

He sensed questions. Questions people wanted to ask. He could practically feel them about to burst from their mouths. But they were restraining themselves. Maybe some of them wanted to reassure _him_. Maybe they were pissed at him for engaging the Wolvenheim. Maybe they were just glad he had survived.

But they all held back.

Jaune sighed slightly.

This next part wasn't something he had been planning on doing. But he wanted to.

"I know there are things you want to ask me. Things you want to know. Give me a day. That's all."

No one said a word, but he could feel the tension ease palpably.

He raised his head to search for Roman and Neo, and found them both staring at him with their jaws hanging open. Neither of them had even dreamed of seeing _this_ Jaune.

With all of that done, Jaune proceeded to probably the hardest encounter he would have to face this evening.

At the back, near her bunk, stood Pyrrha.

Out of everyone in the room, she was the only one whose relief at seeing him was mixed with some amount of resentment.

Jaune, of course, knew exactly why that might be. Apart from Qrow, she had been the other one with a pair of binoculars. Which meant, she had probably watched everything go down. Including his kiss with Yang after the battle.

_What did that kiss even mean?_

He didn't know. At the time, he had enjoyed it. And afterwards, he had been unconscious, and unable to think about what it might have meant.

He was a novice when it came to relationships. But basic decency was something he did possess, and he knew she was justified in being angry, no matter how insane the circumstances had been.

"Hey, Pyrrha," he said. He was far too tired to fake anything more at the moment. It had already drained him to put on a front for Ruby. And he didn't _want_ to pretend to be anything in front of Pyrrha.

"Jaune," she replied tersely, her voice a mix of relief and anger.

Unlike usual, she did not move forward to take his hand.

There was a marked distance between them, both of them standing two feet apart, conspicuously.

As before, Jaune decided he couldn't just leave things like that. If he wanted to fix them, he would have to make an effort.

"Pyrrha… about what you saw… I'm sorry."

The words were simple, but there was no doubting their sincerity.

Pyrrha Nikos was a smart girl, and however selfish she could be at times, she was not devoid of sympathy. And deep down, she cared about Jaune far too much to want anything to get between them.

"Why, Jaune?" she asked.

"I… I don't know what came over me. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the battle. Maybe… unh. I don't know."

"I saw it all, Jaune. Yang initiated it."

There was an unusual amount of venom in her voice, and Jaune caught on to it immediately.

Before he knew it, he was replying.

"She did, but I didn't do anything to stop her."

Pyrrha's eyes widened momentarily, before flashing.

"Why- why are you defending her, Jaune?"

"It wasn't just her fault. I know what we did was wrong, but I'm as much to blame for it as she is."

Pyrrha took an actual step back.

"Yang saved my life out there," he said. "This entire thing was my fault to begin with. I underestimated the Wolvenheim. I would have died if she hadn't arrived when she did."

"Yang, Yang, Yang… it's always about her, isn't it?"

Pyrrha's voice was low, pulsing with no longer contained anger. The sheer venom in it was unnerving. She sounded nothing like the kind, affectionate girl Jaune liked so much.

"From the very start… it's always been her, hasn't it? I was wasting my time."

And like that, all the fight went out of her, and instead of the barely restrained fury, there was now just an exhausted girl, who had tried her absolute hardest, and failed. Her vivid green eyes sparkled as tears began to fall.

Jaune's heart sank. He took a step forward, reaching out, but she shrank away. A physical pain shot through his chest, one that had nothing to do with his injuries.

Suddenly, a lot of things became clear. Even to Jaune, who knew almost nothing about human emotions, things became evident. Pyrrha had liked him for a while. He had always been close to Yang, since the first mission. She was one of his first friends here, and they were almost inseparable. Pyrrha had been watching all of that, while harbouring these feelings.

_She must have felt awful._

Helpless, unable to do anything. Afraid that he was being taken away from her.

That was why she had resorted to that stunt in the showers.

It was her desperate attempt at holding on to him.

A facade she had put on, one that had _nothing_ to do with the real Pyrrha Nikos.

_She's afraid, even now, that Yang's taking me away from her._

With the source of her insecurity clear, Jaune knew what he had to do.

Regardless of what Yang meant to him, he was certain of one thing: he had feelings for Pyrrha, and he didn't want to lose her. Right now, that meant he needed to reassure her. Needed to show her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"Pyrrha," he said, taking another step forward. "I'm not-"

"_Just leave me alone."_

Her words struck him like ice.

He wasn't able to say anything further.

A loner who was only now receiving his first taste of company, that rejection hit harder than any Mutate.

Pyrrha walked away, and Jaune could only watch her go.

His mind still numb with shock, he did the only thing that remained to be done, and decided to head out to the dining hall for food. He was functioning on autopilot now, not willing to think about what had just happened.

Dinner was silent. He shovelled down as much food as he could, not really tasting any of it, before heading back to the quarters to sleep. He was vaguely aware that the other Recruits were looking at him. The entire scene earlier had happened in front of them, an unavoidable consequence of having to live in the same room. It was inevitable that anyone who got into a relationship would have some or the other details spill out.

He ignored it. It hurt to think about, and more than anything, it hurt because a part of him knew that Pyrrha was justified. What he had done wasn't right, and he had enjoyed it as well.

Sleep was dreamless, and Jaune welcomed its oblivion.

When he awoke the next morning, he was healed completely, as expected.

And that meant he would be resuming training.

After a quick shower, he put on his gym wear, avoiding looking at any of the others, especially Pyrrha. It was on the way to the weapons practice room that he saw a group of people in white medical gear running by, carrying equipment.

"-patient's condition is extreme-"

"-she won't make it-"

He didn't need to be told who it was they were talking about.

He reached out and grabbed one of the medical staff by the collar.

"Which room is she in?"

Jaune could be intimidating when he wanted to, and when you are gripped by a near six-foot guy who is known to lift tanks and beat Mutates to death with his bare hands, you very well give him whatever answers he wants.

"504. Fifth floor, Wing-B," said the man, terrified.

Jaune released him, and rushed off.

Completely recovered, and stronger than ever, it took him mere seconds to reach the Emergency Room where Yang was.

It was guarded, and both the security officers moved to block his way when they saw him.

But Jaune's decision was already made.

He had been willing to let them treat her, because of the risks involved in doing so himself. But they wouldn't be able to save her. If he didn't step in now, she was dead. And he couldn't let that happen.

"You! You aren't allowed-"

"Sorry."

Two lightning quick gut punches, and the men were both doubled up on the ground incapacitated.

Jaune grabbed the handle, and found the door locked. Without pause, he pushed it open, breaking the lock.

The doctors inside looked at him in shock, but his attention was focused entirely on Yang.

A multitude of devices were strapped to her by tubes, and her vital signs, visible on a monitor, were fluctuating wildly.

"There's nothing you can do, son," said an old doctor. None of them were angry at his presence. It was well known in Beacon how the encounter with the Wolvenheim had gone.

They had tried their best to save her. The only thing that remained to be done was make her death painless.

To their utter surprise, Jaune strode forward.

"There's nothing I _can't_ do," he said.

He reached out a hand, and this time, no one dared interrupt him.

With his telekinetic field, he scanned Yang's body.

_Heartbeat 180. Systems are on overdrive. She's in shock. Extensive muscular damage. I thought that level of strength was unusual. Her organs are fried. The compound she ingested to get that power boost was too much for her._

Within seconds, he scanned her down to the molecular level, ascertaining the nature of the damage, and its exact extent. Then, he reached out and grabbed the synthetic compounds present in the various machines that were attached to her. These compounds contained proteins and other substances, and were meant to cause recovery. However, the damage was too great, and the catalysts weren't enough.

That was okay.

It didn't matter.

Telekinesis at molecular level is the most powerful catalyst known to man. Jaune would _make_ the recovery happen.

With no room for doubt, he got to work. Using his knowledge of the human body to choose manipulate her hormonal balance, forcing her body into a relaxed state. All while maintaining her heart and brain in stasis. He started his repairs here, then proceeded. Bit by bit, organ by organ, he healed her, before rejoining her bones while eliminating loose fragments, and knitting her muscles together. He finally repaired the damage and exhaustion of the nervous system.

It took three hours for him to do all of it.

During those three hours, if his concentration had slipped even for a moment, the results would have been fatal.

But he pulled it off.

Yang Xiao Long's eyes opened.

The dragon would live, and fly once more.

She had been in a fever dream all this time, unconscious.

Upon regaining thought and vision, her sight fell on the one who stood over her.

"Jaune?"

The blue eyes that stared into her own now were different from how she remembered them being during the battle.

If anything, they seemed even more guarded now than when he had first arrived at Beacon.

"Your body is physically fine, in a purely structural sense," he said. "However, it will take a little bit of time to resume optimal functioning. I suggest a day of rest. Eat and sleep normally. You should be able to resume training tomorrow."

Without waiting for a reply, or even a glance backwards, he walked away.

"Jaune, wait…!"

Yang sat up slowly. She wasn't sore, but she was quite stiff. For a while, she intended to chase after him, until she saw him pause briefly at the door.

For just a moment, his shell of perfect confidence broke, and the exhaustion and pain he had experienced showed through.

For just a moment.

Almost immediately, his posture resumed its pride and strength.

He seemed taller than ever now, and more distant than he had ever been.

It was as if everything Yang had been able to do, all the barriers she had been able to break down between them, had been rebuilt, twice as high, twice as thick.

Outside, Jaune saw the other Recruits, who had seen him rush off, and followed. They all stood there in shock. And there were Eliminators there as well, who had their guns trained on him.

Jaune shook his head and looked up at the security camera hanging from the ceiling.

"I know you're watching. Tell them to drop their weapons. They can't hurt me. If you have questions, you'll have better luck asking than trying to force me to answer."

A voice rang out through the announcement system.

"_Lower your guns, and lead Mr. Arc to my chamber."_

It was Ozpin's voice.

The men complied immediately, without any signs of anger or irritation. They gestured at Jaune to follow, and he walked after them.

As he passed by, he saw Ruby staring at him with wide eyes.

"I told you, didn't I? Your sister's not that fragile."

With that said, he continued, not waiting for a reply.

He passed them all by, one by one. When he came to Pyrrha, he turned to her.

The redhead opened her mouth to say something. It was clear that she regretted her actions from the previous night.

She stopped when their eyes met.

They were beyond cold. She had seen many moods of Jaune before. Anger, regret, excitement, focus. This was the first time she was seeing bitterness. He seemed weary now. She realized with a sharp pain that such a thing had had no place in his heart before.

"Jaune, I-"

He walked past, without giving her a chance to finish.

Ozpin looked up as the door to his chamber opened.

"Mr. Arc."

He knew, of course, but decided to ask anyway.

"Why are you here?"

Assured eyes, void of doubt or fear, looked at him.

"_Because I am a weapon. Use me, to save human lives, and end those of the Mutates." _


	9. Chapter 9

**The following chapter is the conclusion to Arc 1 of Heroes Are Made. Many of you have had many questions. Perhaps some of them will be answered here. Arc 2 should begin either this week or sometime next week.**

**I have a feeling this is the chapter many of you were waiting for. And you might love it or hate it, but it is what it is, it's the story I envisioned.**

**So here we go.**

**Chapter 9: Off the Cliff **

The General of Beacon sat on his leather chair, looking at the data displayed on the screen of his console. He scrolled through it, taking note of all the significant numbers. Going through the notes, some of which he himself had made. This was the sum total of observations carried out all across Remnant. It had all begun twenty years ago, with the Great Change, the unknown phenomenon that had triggered mutations across the species of the world.

And it had come to this point. The here and the now. In particular, Ozpin scanned the observations made over the past four months, at Beacon itself. The visual data collected by the hundreds of hidden cameras all across the institute. The biological data collected through obtaining samples, all in ways that wouldn't be obvious. Measurements during physical training and tests. Cursory medical exams, during which DNA was taken. Hidden scanners that checked various attributes. Chemical balances. Body composition. Performance. Even psychological evaluations.

All of this, hidden from the Eliminators who loyally served him. Hidden even from the vast majority of the Research Division. The only ones who knew were a special team serving directly under him. Doctors, scientists, and just a handful of warriors. They were all he needed. Ozpin had gone to great lengths to keep this all secret, especially from Glynda Goodwitch and Qrow Branwen. He had learnt long ago that they served humanity, not his goals. It was admirable how Goodwitch believed that the Medical Wing's data could not be directly accessed by him. Admirable how Branwen had tried to protect Arc's secret.

But Ozpin knew.

There was nothing that happened within the walls of the Institute that he wasn't aware of.

He knew, that Arc could play with the building blocks of matter, as easily as a child could with toy bricks. He knew, that Arc's physical abilities were not the result of how he was born, but how he had altered himself using his power. He knew that Arc was the first, and only successful case of genetic modification in an Empowered.

He had suspected matter manipulation from the moment he had seen footage of the fight against the Liminal, but he had not revealed his thoughts to Qrow. Then, the battle against the Wolvenheim happened, and Arc's body was examined by Goodwitch, confirming in detail what Ozpin already knew. And finally, he healed Xiao Long, by repairing her body from a state that promised death.

The evidence was clear.  
And right after that very same incident, he had claimed he wanted to be a weapon.

Ozpin, of course, had seen the events that had occurred in the Recruits' Living Quarters. He knew, for instance, that Pyrrha Nikos was in a relationship with him. He was also aware that Yang Xiao Long harboured feelings for him as well. And finally, he was aware of what Jaune himself could not process yet: that he had feelings for _both_ of them.

Therein lay the problem.

From what he knew of the Arc family and the information he had been able to gather from anecdotes, Jaune had always been largely ignored by his parents and siblings, and been assumed to have been born without the Stigma, the unknown gene that granted an Ability. The rest of this was conjecture, but Ozpin's theory was that he had discovered his power, and having gained some control over it, used it, over time, to modify his own body, all by himself, without any guidance. Being mostly isolated in the large Arc estate, he would have found plenty of time and opportunities to do so, without being seen.

_Isolation._

Yes, that was the key word.

One had to wonder, of course, what the effects of genetic manipulation on a live child could be, especially when performed by that child himself. Arc's knowledge of science was commendable, but far from foolproof, even more so when one took into account the fact that so much about the body just wasn't known. It was like sailing in space, with only a basic knowledge of astronomy. Luck had been involved. Heavily. But so had skill. Somehow, he had pulled off a miracle. A miracle great enough, that even Ozpin wondered if divine intervention was somehow involved.

What was known for certain about the changes?

Arc was stronger. Faster. Sturdier. Lasted longer. Healed up better. Thought quicker. Acted with more certainty. Fought more effectively.

For certain, this was also the result of training. But he was working with an enhanced body.

However, the body is not just a tool for combat.

What effects had Arc's tinkering had on his own brain?

On his mind?

Here, Ozpin was guided only by the psychological evaluations and chem level readings he had obtained, along with what he knew of Arc's behaviour.

And on the basis of that, he hypothesized.

Imagine a boy, who was treated as a nobody in his own home. And one day, he discovered a way to surpass the very family whose attention he had craved. And, disregarding the risks, he took it.

Now imagine, working, alone, hidden away, most likely for years. Building, tearing down, rebuilding, training. Always alone, with the singular goal of getting stronger.

Anything that didn't directly contribute to that goal was ignored.

And of course, subconscious desire played a role in development.

The result?

A boy who fought like a warrior, not knowing _why._

The answer, to someone with as much experience of life as Ozpin, was as obvious as if it were written.

Jaune had _always _wanted to be loved.

Being denied that love, he had settled for attention, and strived to get it the only way he knew how, by doing the things that he saw his siblings doing, namely, fighting. So, he had made himself better at it than they could ever be, without even knowing why he was doing so.

By this time, lost in life, he had come to Beacon, and received his first taste of attention, from his fellow Recruits.

And so, subconsciously, he had replaced the family that had denied him with the one that seemed to be interested in him.

It was how he had grown attached to them.

Why he had fought ferociously to destroy the Liminal, while protecting them at the same time.

Why he had gone up against the Wolvenheim alone, fearing the beast would kill the others.

And why the simplest fear of rejection did so much damage to him.

Because even without knowing, he was equating the effectiveness and worth of everything he had done in life with how the other Recruits treated him, in particular Pyrrha and Yang.

It was why Pyrrha simply lashing out at him was taken as a permanent rejection rather than an ordinary lovers' spat, which was how anyone else would see it.

Add to that his own guilt, from social conditioning.

Monogamous relationships were the norm in Vale, and Jaune, with his extremely limited social experience, would have thought they were the _only_ kind of relationship. Thus, his true feelings would clash with what he had been conditioned to think of as right and wrong.

Put it all together?

Jaune had taken the rejection to heart, and was trying to distance himself from Pyrrha. At the same time, he considered his feelings for Yang to be _wrong_, and was trying to stay away from her as well. And he was doing all this by once more throwing himself into the one of the only things he _knew _how to do: fight.

Analysis concluded, Ozpin put away the console.

Arc was headed on a course for a certain disaster, and he could not let that happen.

He was far too important to the Project. The true purpose of having Empowered at Beacon, and putting them all together.

Did Qrow honestly fear that Ozpin was going to turn Jaune into a lab rat?

And did Jaune fear that Ozpin was going to force him to use his Ability to heal, or enhance other fighters?

They were both so simplistic in their thoughts.

His plans were bigger.

Far bigger.

If Jaune wanted to fight, then that was what he needed to do. But for the right reasons. And he could not be allowed to remain blind to his feelings.

He turned to the door, and right on schedule, it slid open. A group of Eliminators entered, surrounding Jaune.

Ozpin waved them away.

"You can go," he said.

Without argument, the men left, leaving the General alone with Recruit.

"So, Mr. Arc. Why are you here?"

"To be a weapon for humanity," he replied.

Ozpin allowed a tiny smile to come onto his face.

"That is a pointless endeavour, Mr. Arc. I know for a fact that you and I are both carrying secrets. It is impossible to earn trust in one meeting, but for a start, how about this? I will ask you to reveal nothing about yourself."

Jaune looked at him cautiously, not really sure where this was going.

"What do you want?" he asked eventually.

"Quite simply, for you to get your head on straight. Contrary to what you might believe, Mr. Arc, we do not let Eliminators onto the field when they are in a disturbed state, which is exactly what you are in."

"I can tell a Mutate from a human, and I can kill the one I need to. What more do you need?"

"For you to realize you are repeating your mistakes. Tell me, Mr. Arc… how did the fight against the Wolvenheim go?"

Jaune looked down, unable to reply to that.

Ozpin was right, and he knew it.

He had underestimated the Wolvenheim, and nearly died for it. He had nearly gotten Yang killed for it.

"I can tell you right now, Mr. Arc, that you will not be given what you came here for. You will not be made a solo operative, nor allowed to live anywhere other the quarters assigned to you and the other Recruits."

"That's…!"

Jaune began to protest, but the words caught in his throat. So confused, he didn't even know how to express what he was feeling.

"You can't force me to go back there!"

"This is the military, Mr. Arc, not a hotel with guns. If you are having problems with your team, I suggest you sort them out together."

Jaune's eyes were wide now, as he searched for ways to avoid the encounter he was now terrified of.

"Why? I can take on any number of Mutates! Isn't that what you need? Someone to do the killing?"

Ozpin smiled.

"If I just wanted Mutates dead, I would have detonated a nuclear bomb and been done with it, regardless of the human casualties."

Jaune stared, unable to reply.

"Contrary to what you might believe, your life matters, Mr. Arc, as do those of your teammates. You were all brought together for a reason. Let me ask you a question: do you care about them at all?"

The boy's fists were curled, his gaze downcast, self-loathing on his face.

But even so, his answer was clear.

"Yes."

"Then do not throw them aside so easily."

Jaune looked up at that, staring in surprise.

_Don't… throw them aside?_

_That's right. I was giving up, wasn't I?_

_But I told myself. Never again: I'll never give up, again._

As he left the office, Ozpin's words rang in his ears.

"_The measure of a warrior is not the blade he wields, but what he protects."_

The General watched him go, satisfied for the moment. Arc was too smart to truly ever be manipulated. But pushing him onto the path of his own feelings, however, was quite easily achieved.

======================================================================

The mood in the Recruit Living Quarters was tense. Training was done for the day, and they were all back.

Which meant, inevitably, that the two people who couldn't stand one another had come face to face.

Yang got up from her bunk. She had taken Jaune's advice, and rested up for recovery. She was nice and fresh, perfectly ready to kick ass.

And it was with this exact intention that she walked towards Pyrrha.

"You and I need to talk."

The redhead stared at her, eyes narrowed in dislike.

"I have nothing to say to you."

A few of the others were starting to come between them and say placating words, imagining, perhaps, that this would be some kind of a shouting match.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

An empty vial of Bullhead fuel hit the ground at the same moment as Yang pushed past everyone in the way, and struck Pyrrha right on the jaw with a right hook.

"Good. You can shut up and listen then."

Pyrrha staggered back, a thin trail of blood running down her mouth.

One vial of Bullhead fuel had a lower amount of energy than Yang typically used to boost herself, and it was obvious she was holding back on top of that.

Didn't change the fact that she still hit like a truck.

The scarlet-haired girl's glare grew colder. She made no visible movement, but one of the loaded barbells in the room came flying in, smashing right into Yang, sending her into a collision against one of the bunk beds.

"Stand down, Xiao Long. I won't tell you twice."

Yang straightened up, not even a scratch on her. Cracking her knuckles, she advanced again.

"You don't get to order me around, bitch."

"Yang, stop it!" screamed Ruby, trying to grab hold of her sister.

"Let go, Ruby. I'm going to be teaching her a lesson."

"A lesson in what, exactly?" said Pyrrha from across the room. "How to make a move on someone else's boyfriend?"

Yang's eyes widened.

Pyrrha pushed the offensive.

"Oh, what? You didn't think I saw everything? That little bit where you were eating his face after the fight with that Mutate?"

Everyone stared at Yang. This was news to them, none of them having seen what had happened from that far away as they didn't have binoculars.

The gold dragon felt the mood in the room shift. She had been called out on her own move. In this position, there was only one thing she could do.

Yang was always the type to stick to her guns.

With a cocky grin on her face, she held up a middle finger.

"Yeah, he seemed to enjoy it a lot. I did make a move on him. Figured he was better off with me. And let's be honest. We're all living in the same room. He seems a lot happier when he's with me."

That did it.

She had hit all of Pyrrha's sore points, and the Mistralian finally snapped.

The room began to shake ominously, as her considerable powers began to be asserted.

======================================================================

It was around this time, that unnoticed by anyone, the door to the room had slid open, and the final remaining Recruit had entered. With everyone's attention on the two girls, no one saw the boy they were fighting over come in.

He stopped next to Roman and Neo, and took a deep breath.

The orange-haired boy saw Jaune, and his eyes widened.

"... Took a while. You about done tripping around on your own emotions?"

"Yeah," said Jaune, in a quieter tone than usual. There was a certainty in it now, and conviction. Something had changed.

"So what's the plan?" Roman asked, curious now.

Jaune looked forward at the two women he had feelings for.

"The plan, huh? I suppose it might involve becoming the most hated man in Vale."

"What-?"

Before Roman could finish his question, Jaune walked forward.

Right as Pyrrha simultaneously hurled ever single piece of weight training equipment at Yang, in a barrage of metal.

Given the dragon's current strength level, taking that attack would have broken every bone in her body.

Before any of it could hit her, though, Jaune stood in front of her.

Pyrrha realised, too late, that she couldn't stop her attack.

Then, her jaw almost hit the floor.

Jaune's outline flickered, and copies of him briefly seemed to appear, as barbells, weight plates and dumbbells were all crumpled. The sounds of metallic impacts rang out, as frequent as machine gun fire.

A moment later, every single thrown piece of metal was embedded somewhere in a wall, the ceiling or the floor. Not one of them had hit any of the Recruits.

Jaune stood calmly, smoke rising from his fists.

Pyrrha took a step forward, regret in her eyes.

"Jaune, I'm-"

"No. _I'm sorry._ For everything, Pyrrha. I know how you feel now. How you must have felt all this time. Walking away was my mistake. Well, I won't run. Not anymore. I'm not going anywhere. As long as you want me here, I'm not leaving."

The redhead's eyes lit up, even as Yang could feel her heart sinking, until Jaune turned around to face her.

"And I'm not running from you either. Yang Xiao Long, I can _see _you now. It took a while to accept… but I don't see you as a friend."

He drew closer to her.

"I like you," he said, even as Yang's mouth opened in surprise, her eyes glittering.

He looked at both Yang and Pyrrha, knowing that everyone in the room was watching, and would know his decision.

But this was what he had chosen.

He had run from one family. He wouldn't lose another. And if that meant being its most hated member…

_So be it. I'm done lying to myself._

"I like you both. I know it's unfair. I know it's disgusting. I know that hearing this will probably mean neither of you will ever want to be near me again. But if that's the price I'll pay… then I'll pay it. I know my feelings aren't a lie. Yang Xiao Long, Pyrrha Nikos… _I like you both."_


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's note: So this is a really short chapter. Don't worry: I think the next one will be longer. But I felt something like this was really needed. In Arc 1, we our main characters so far go through a lot of experiences, and grow. But to grow even further, they need to analyse, and understand. So an introspective chapter was kinda needed. It's also a bit of a lull in the action and romance, before we get right back into it next time.**

**Chapter 10: Search Your Self**

Yang looked up tentatively from her plate. Across the table, her eyes fell on the one who had been occupying her thoughts, the reason her dreams had been troubled last night.

"_I like you both."_

If a second Wolvenheim had broken into the Living Quarters, it couldn't have shocked her more than that one statement had. With those four words, it was as if the entire world had been changed, and nothing could ever be the same again. And the one who had uttered them, was sitting a mere few feet away, having breakfast. Yang glared at him, then turned her attention back to her food.

She hadn't really known how to reply to something like that.

Despite all her confidence and her outgoing nature, this was still, ultimately, the first time she had liked anyone, the first time she had expressed her feelings to anyone, and the first time she had found out they felt the same way. When she was younger, Yang had often wished she could find someone real, and have a strong relationship with them. She had wondered what it might be like to have a person like that in her life, to be able to call someone her own, to have someone she belonged with. And again, no matter how flirty she acted, or how much of a thrillseeker she seemed to be, Yang was, at heart, far less of a wild one than anyone thought. The reasons she liked Jaune had nothing at all to do with his badassery, and she often found it laughable how so many people thought that simply being strong, or smart, or good at something was the way to win someone's heart over.

She'd wanted something simple. Just the peace of knowing that she belonged with someone, and they were united by a common feeling.

And she'd found it.

Then everything had been flipped on its head.

Jaune's heart belonged to her. But it also belonged to someone else.

With a frown, she turned to the side, and looked at _her_.

Pyrrha Nikos seemed to be as deep in thought as she was, and Yang looked away. Staring at her for too long made her want to punch her.

Last night, when Jaune had said those words, Yang hadn't been able to accept or reject them. She'd simply walked away, and said nothing. She needed time. Time to think. Surprisingly, Jaune dealt with her reaction quite calmly, given how he could be about these things. But she knew she couldn't keep pushing it back forever. No matter how strange what he said wasn no matter how hard to think about; he had been honest, and she knew it took guts to do something like that, especially in front of everyone. Heck, he'd practically become public enemy number one right away.

No one had tried fighting him: at this point, people were smart enough to realize that would be useless. But the boys had almost unanimously agreed Jaune was an asshole, and as one were giving him the highest amount of passive aggression they could muster. No one was talking to him, and almost everyone was talking about him, in not at all charming words, without mentioning his name.

As for the boy himself, he looked remarkably accepting of all this. He must have known that his statement would bring about just such a reaction, and he was ready to deal with it.

Yang admired that kind of resolve. Even if she might not agree with the path he had decided on, she could at least respect that he'd been upfront about it.

And… that meant she needed to give him an answer.

But that answer hurt to think about.

It hurt to think that after everything, she would never be the most important person for him.

Breakfast ended soon enough, and the Recruits began the day's training. Yang discovered that she had healed up completely from her internal damage, and could move around freely. In fact, she might even be moving around better than she used to. Here too, she was reminded of him. After all, he'd been the one to heal her, after her risky use of the experimental compound.

The training itself went as usual. She was used to the different kinds of exercises and drills by now, and went through them as needed. Every now and then, she'd sneak a glance at him. Jaune seemed to be completely recovered too. In fact, he'd already seemed fine the previous day, when he'd knocked away everything Pyrrha had tried to hit her with. How did he heal up so quick? And had he gotten even stronger?

He grew at a scary pace.

And where most people would be satisfied to simply maintain what they had, he never stopped.

Where would that search for more power one day lead him?

Yang was no slouch in training herself, and she enjoyed a good fight. But at the end of the day, these things were secondary for her. Family came first, and a place to call home. Looking at him now, she was scared. Scared that when this was all over, if they managed to survive, he might not choose to come home at all.

It was an old story she had heard.

The berserkers of ages past, before guns even existed. With their armour bound to them by chains, they fought, never truly giving up their blades. Fighting, until every drop of blood in their body was spilled, and every bone broken, and every breath spent. The story went that brave warriors would eventually find themselves in an Eternal Hall in the afterlife, where they would be honoured, and wait, until a final battle, where they would serve the gods in the confrontation that would end the world.

This was just a story.

But looking at him, she could not deny the existence of those who lived that way.

Her heart ached when she thought of that possibility.

======================================================================

"_I like you both."_

These words kept echoing in Pyrrha's head.

She hadn't been able to deal with them when he had uttered them, and she couldn't deal with them now. It just wasn't fair. After everything, she was just one of two for him.

It wasn't something she could imagine.

Polygamy was… unusual in Remnant. Strictly speaking, polygamous marriages weren't legal in Mistral, where she was from, or even in Vale, where Jaune had grown up. There were, of course, people who were simply playing the field, and stringing multiple partners along, but Jaune had made it clear this wasn't his intention. There was the possibility that he simply had an insatiable appetite, and would not be satisfied with one woman. But Pyrrha found this to be an image she couldn't really reconcile with Jaune. No, the only way any of this could make sense was if she took his words literally.

He really did just like them both.

Even a day ago, the very idea of such a thing would be unacceptable to her, a thought she'd deny with everything she had.

But things had changed.

The incidents of yesterday and the night before that had forced her to take a long, hard look at herself. In the first place, she had hurt Jaune. Twice now. Once with her stunt in the showers, and the second time when she had pushed him away when he had apologized. And then, she had snapped at Yang. No matter how much she might dislike the blonde, she did not want to hurt her, much less kill her.

It worried her, how close she had come to doing the latter. Yang's Ability absorbed energy from a source, and transformed into physical power. With the amount of fuel she had drunk, she would not have been able to defend herself against every single piece of weight training equipment in the Quarters, all hurled at her simultaneously. Had Jaune not intervened… she might not have survived.

_What have I become?_

From the very start, everything she had done had backfired. Her attempts to grow closer to Jaune had only hurt him, and culminated in her making an enemy out of a girl who was her friend.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized. The anger wasn't at Jaune, or even Yang.

It was at herself.

She kept lashing out, in an attempt to distract herself by pushing the pain onto others.

She shook her head.

This was all leading her down a direction that she didn't want to go.

======================================================================

_Two hours later:_

With his basic workout for the day done, Jaune had been called by Qrow, and led outside the room, away from the rest of the Recruits.

"So, Arc. I've heard some shit about a weird triangle thing going on. Now, you're a decent guy. So you're going to tell me all that is a lie… right?"

He glared at him. Qrow could be intimidating if he wanted to, and most people at Beacon, faced with him in his current state, would have given him the answer he wanted to hear right away.

Then again, Jaune wasn't like most people.

He took the glare head on, staring the older man right in the eye.

"It's not a lie. I like Pyrrha… and I like Yang too. Though there is no 'triangle'. I'm guessing neither of them liked what I said too much."

"Yeah, no shit," said Qrow.

He had been in half a mind to punch him, regardless of the consequences to his own hand, but ultimately, decided against it. The boy looked different. It was clear that this distance between him and the two girls wasn't something he liked. He looked sad, but in far better control of his emotions than he had been yesterday. If anything, this expression reminded Qrow a lot of how everyone else dealt with hard times in life.

He had chosen to endure, and move forward.

That in itself was enough growth that he couldn't bring himself to hate the guy, no matter how much of a womanizer he was.

Then again, if a man straight up admits to both girls that he likes them, instead of trying to cheat, can he still be called a womanizer?

Qrow shook his head.

This was too much thinking. He took out his flask, and took a sip from it.

"Ah, fuck it. Who am I to tell you how to live your life? Look, Yang is a good girl. I don't really understand what's going on between the three of you, but you treat her right, okay?"

There wasn't a threat in there. Just a sincere request, and a promise for retribution in case of failure.

Jaune smiled slightly.

This was Qrow at his most genuine. For as much of an asshole as he tried to act, the more he got to know him, the more he realized the older Eliminator had a heart of gold.

"You're her uncle, aren't you?" he asked.

"Yeah," the man replied, gruffly.

"Yang mentioned it once. I can see a bit of you in her. Don't worry. I'll treat her right."

The two locked eyes for a moment, finalizing the act of Jaune giving his word.

"Well, I guess that's enough of the personal stuff. There's something I gotta show you. Come on."

With that, he led Jaune to another part of the facility. They passed through numerous corridors, descending deeper into Beacon, into a place Jaune had never been before.

"This is the Research Division," said Qrow. "I'm not sure what exactly you and the General talked about, but he said I'm supposed to bring you here from now, whenever you want to come. Said something about reminding you of your resolve, and that you'd know what to do."

Jaune remembered.

"_The measure of a warrior is not the blade he wields, but what he protects."_

The Research Division was massive. The outer lab had a plethora of every kind of equipment and machine imaginable, and many that Jaune had never seen before, nor knew what they might be for. Scientists and engineers were hard at work, completely focused on their projects. There were several doors, all of them closed, and no doubt containing more machinery, more projects, more researchers, and who knew what else.

One by one, they passed these by, until they stood in front of a particular door that was larger than the others. Jaune sensed that it was made of a reinforced metallic alloy, and was ten inches thick. In addition, there were sensors attached to it, all connected to explosives that were arranged around the frame. The door was rigged to blow if anyone attempted to break in by force.

"Isn't this overkill?" Jaune asked.

"Is that your Ability?" Qrow asked in turn. He had never gotten around to confront Jaune about the truth of his Ability, until now. Jaune, of course, knew that Glynda and Qrow both knew the secret of his body, and had chosen not to reveal it to Ozpin.

He nodded.

"Matter manipulation?" Qrow asked in a low voice, barely above a whisper.

"Telekinesis," Jaune answered. "I can manipulate matter with it, and do other things."

"Like scan things?"

"Like scan things."

"How'd you destroy the Liminal?"

"Caused an oxidation reaction inside its body. Rerouted all the oxygen in its body to its brain, then put it together with the glucose there."

Qrow's eyes widened.

He already knew how impressive Jaune's Ability was from seeing the work he had done on his own body. But hearing about how he used it in battle still amazed him.

_He thought of something like that in the heat of combat. _

"And what about the Wolvenheim? Why couldn't you do the same to him?"

"The Wolvenheim… he had a telekinetic field around his body. Small, but extremely strong. I couldn't get through with my own telekinesis. Had no choice but to melee him from there."

He didn't voice the rest of his thoughts.

The fact that he was glad to have fought the Mutate hand to hand.

The fact that the Wolvenheim was a true warrior, who had taken both him and Yang on fair and square, and only lost by a hair.

Qrow glanced at him.

"That so? Well, I guess we learn something new every day. To think a Class 2 Abnormal feared as the berserker of the Mutate World would have something like telekinesis…"

He paused, then raised his hand and placed its palm against the scanner on the wall.

"Well, we can learn more about him now."

Before Jaune could ask what he meant, the door slid open upwards, revealing what lay behind it.

Jaune's eyes widened.

Right there, in a glass tank, suspended in liquid, was the Mutate he had acknowledged as a worthy opponent: the Wolvenheim.

And bubbles frothed around the breathing device attached to his face.

_He was alive._

"I hope you know what to do, Arc. It's taking a factory's worth of horse tranquilizer to keep him unconscious."

Lost for words, Jaune turned to face Qrow.

"Why…?"

"We've never captured anything above a Class 3 alive. This was too good a chance to pass up. We know very little about them… and we need all the information we can get. When we reached the three of you out there on the field, we discovered he'd suffered a head trauma that had knocked him unconscious, and smashed him into the ground. But he was still alive. So we put him on sedatives, and brought him back here, to study him."

Jaune shook his head, staring at the being suspended in front of him.

This wasn't right.

He wouldn't care if it was the Liminal, or any other Mutate.

But this… this was no fate for someone who'd faced him head on.

He fought to keep the tremble out of his voice. There was no way Qrow would understand if he said any of what he was feeling aloud.

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

Qrow had caught on to Jaune's discomfort. He didn't know the cause of it, but he knew it was there. A job had to be done, but he didn't want to worsen whatever the problem was.

"You can scan him, right? Understanding what he's made of, what he can do, his strengths and weakness, how all of that relates to other Mutates… it'll be a big help."

"I'm pretty sure you guys have already studied him enough to know all of that by now."

Qrow could not deny the truth of that statement. They had already taken samples, as well as done X-Rays and MRIs.

"Look, there's no way what we learn is going to be anywhere near as detailed or precise as what you can."

He paused, and sighed.

He was hoping to avoid this, but there was no way around it anymore.

"What's the problem, Arc?"

Jaune turned to look at him briefly, before returning his gaze to the Wolvenheim.

"This guy… you call him a monster. And sure, he's killed people. But he's an animal. No different from a tiger or a lion in that respect. He kills when he feels threatened, and when he needs to eat."

"That's true for a lot of Mutates."

"Yeah, but this one… he's different. You saw the fight, didn't you? Didn't you see how he gave us time to recover? Only attacked when we were ready?"

Qrow frowned slightly.

"You're not seriously saying what I think you're saying, are you?"

"It's not right," snapped Jaune, whose patience was nearing its end.

"People are fucking dying! We passed the point of right and wrong twenty years ago!"

"I know, all right? That's the only reason I'm not waking him up and letting him free right here and now."

"You were thinking of freeing a _Mutate_? _Inside Beacon?_"

"And I chose _not_ to do it! Are you even listening to me?"

The two of them glared at each other for a while, before both relaxed at the same time. They realized they both had a point, but it would be impossible to completely understand the other's viewpoint in such a short period of time.

"You want to know its structure, and whatever else we can that'll be of use, right?" Jaune said, suddenly.

Qrow nodded.

"Fine. I'll tell you everything I can learn from him. But after that, you have to promise, to leave him to me."

"You know we can't let him live. Even if we dropped him somewhere way outside the Dome, eventually, he'd come across a Bullhead or something, and more people would die."

Jaune's eyes had a heavy weight in them as he answered.

"I know. That's why… I've got to be the one to end his life. This much I will give him, Qrow. A warrior's death."

Qrow took a step forward.

"You're going to fight him _again?_ _Alone?_ He would have killed you the first time-"

"Yes. He was stronger. It's that simple. And that is why, I'll be ready."

His eyes blazed as he clenched his fist.

"_Three days. In three days, I'll have learned everything about the Wolvenheim's body. And I will attain a power greater than his._"

Qrow actually felt the physical urge to take a step backwards.

For just a moment, looking at Jaune, he saw a vision.

The insane drive that had gotten him this far, had been reawoken, with new purpose.

"I understand what Ozpin wanted. We are underprepared, even now. I'll tell you everything. The way we fight the Mutates is not ideal. I can't let anymore people die pointlessly. If this is what it'll take to end it, then so be it."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Transformed At Last**

Jaune took a deep breath. Removing the unnecessary thoughts from his mind, he opened his eyes, and exhaled. In front of him, suspended motionless in an armoured glass tank, was an individual of one of the many species of highly evolved beings on Remnant. They were all hostile to humans. Collectively, they were called Mutates. The particular being that Jaune was looking at was unique. He was the only one of his kind. A mutant who was different enough from his parents, that he could be considered part of an entirely separate species. Possessing physiology that no other Mutate did. Attributes that made him formidable enough, that he was classified as an Abnormal, marking him out as a threat that had potential beyond the Class Rating that had been assigned to him. Jaune knew first hand that the title was well deserved. He possessed phenomenal strength, speed and resilience. And on top of all that, he was an outstanding warrior, a true natural martial artist.

"I'm sorry," he said, bowing slightly. His words were sincere.

The Wolvenheim was a real warrior, and this was not the fate the Jaune would have wished upon him. But he had no choice. Qrow had had a point. A point that had been reinforced by the blonde's own experience out in the field. Very little was known about the Mutates. Mankind needed all the knowledge it could get. And it needed all the power it could get. Everything that could be learned about the enemy, should be learned. Every source of strength that could be obtained, should be obtained. Lives were at stake. Perhaps the Jaune Arc that had first arrived at Beacon would still have refused, would not have considered that an adequate reason. But things had changed. Fighting was not the only thing in life anymore. Not only that, it was pointless to fight, unless he was fighting for something.

He had people he wanted to protect now. And if he had to sacrifice his pride to do it, so be it.

Determined, he reached out with his telekinetic field.

Going through the glass, he approached the Wolvenheim's body, and attempted to touch it. As expected, the barrier that had surrounded it during the majority of the fight was gone. In Jaune's experience, telekinetic forces of any kind were created by the brain. While it was entirely possible that a brain could exert such forces even in a dormant state such as when one was unconscious, he did not think this was the case. Going by his experience, telekinesis depended on will, or deliberate effort. There were also cases where it responded to emotions, but even in these cases, there was a subconscious desire to _do _something. When angry, for instance, one's instinctual thought might be to break everything. It is because of this that an angry telekinetic might destroy objects in the vicinity without really meaning to. It is simply his powers responding to his inner desires. Since the Wolvenheim was completely unconscious, he was not experiencing any desires, nor did he have an active will to do anything. He certainly could not exert any deliberate effort to do something. As a result, his telekinesis was inactive. Jaune, for the first time, was able to reach out with his Ability, and scan the Wolvenheim.

_All right. Here we go._

_Brain tissue and neural structure: right brain dominant. Neural pathways indicate intuitive ability to make logical leaps. Interesting: there are pathways to instinctively alter the chemical balance of the body on the fly. Nervous tissue has high fidelity. Composition is different from that of humans: these nerves conduct electricity better. More electricity… does that mean better transmission of motor impulses? Responsiveness feels high, so this is quite likely. Brain shows properties similar to mine, including dormant EMG activity. Probably because he's a telekinetic too. Conclusion: extra sensory power is similar across species. Will need to study other specimens to be sure though._

_Skeleton: sturdy. This is… like carbon fibre? Incredibly tough. I couldn't crack this even at full force. So all of Yang's blows, all of mine, we couldn't even break this guy's bones. Thicker structure. Proportions humanoid, but not human. Lower centre of gravity. Three leg joints instead of two. Armoured skull too: there's a padded layer of soft tissue outside it. In conjunction with his external plates, this would ensure that blows to the head wouldn't shake the brain. I'm guessing it wasn't enough. My last punch obviously managed to knock him out. Yang's knee to the back of his neck also managed to immobilize him. Did she manage to hit a nerve ending? Likely. Inspection of spine shows no damage._

_Musculature: impressive. Composition shows anomalous tissue with very high contractile strength. High cross sectional area maximizes this even further. Lastly, high muscle mass, densely packed. The sheer amount of contractile tissue he is working with… he's more like a machine than a living being. No wonder humans don't stand a chance. All muscle insertion and origin points are optimized to increase surface area in contact with target object, whether it be bone or soft tissue. In conjunction with his proportions, this means he has ideal leverage for lifting, pulling, pushing, jumping, sprinting, and striking._

_External projections: blade hands. The blades are bony tissue. Radius and ulna connect to small bones, which in turn connect to a bone that has no equivalent in the human anatomy. This is the blade bone. One for each hand. But wait… the blade tissue is different from the rest of the skelton. This is… dynamic? No… capable of instant and reversible mutations? Ah, that's how he enlarged them towards the end of the fight. Increase in muscle mass was likely a result of altered chemical balance. Examining neural pathways… yes. A Limiter Removal technique, like my own. The blades though… they respond to energy. What about telekinetic energy. I'll apply more of mine. Yes… cells are reacting. Ah… so he would have used his telekinetic power, and shifted it from defense to offense, choosing to use it to boost the size of his swords. Considering his dominantly instinctive brain functioning, it is very likely his telekinesis functions based on his desires. It responded to his aggression. There are also projections on the tail, but these are standard skeletal tissue, just thicker, to form a natural mace._

_All right. Time to examine his telekinetic field. Stimulating brain tissue. Electrons, yes. Let's spark a current through you. So this is your field? Radius of extension from body: 5 millimetres. Sacrificing range, as well as the ability to interact with physical masses, in favour of resisting other telekinetic fields. I see… it's got a flow to it! You aren't resisting external telekinesis. Your own field is constantly moving within its radius, parallel to your body. You parried my field. Eroded it. Noted: direction of application of telekinetic force determines behaviour and interaction with other fields. Perpendicular interaction can be used to erode an opponent's field._

_All right. I know your strengths. Time to see your weaknesses._

_Brain is soft tissue. Obviously vulnerable. But cannot be easily reached because of how resilient you are. Yes, nothing short of someone who could output force equal to you would be capable of concussing you. As for your external armour… yes, I see. Missile strikes, small and large gunfire, and even blunt force trauma won't normally be enough. Estimated blunt force needed to break through: 1000 tons. Obviously, with a structure that stable, you're resistant to cutting attacks too. Yes, I see a possible weakness. If I were to destabilize the bonds between your molecules… that would do the trick. Required force? Yes, something like this particular behaviour of my field. Will need to get the Research Division to build a weapon based on this principle._

_Internal organs: similar to humans and other mammals. Digestive, circulatory, respiratory systems. All adapted to keep a body with high needs such as yours functioning. High metabolism. Very high energy needs._

_Other properties: ah, many of your cells have a replication mechanism. You use stored resources such as protein and energy to perform limited regeneration. This does not seem to apply to your vital organs though._

_Last but not the least, you do have reproductive organs. I'm sorry you're the only one of your kind. You would probably have been a better father than many humans I've seen. _

Analysis complete, Jaune opened his eyes.

He looked once more at the Wolvenheim. He now knew what his opponent was made of.

And he knew, as he was, it would be exceedingly difficult to beat him in a fair fight.

Nature always had the best designs. Jaune's own alterations to his body had been good. But they could never be as effective as what nature could do.

That was why, he would steal one of nature's blueprints.

"I'm not obtaining this power fairly," he said aloud. "You were better than me. I admit it."

Tears rolled down his face.

This was something he had never wanted to do.

When the fight is all one has known, a warrior's honour becomes sacred. Seeing it now had broken his pride. And accepting his feelings earlier had proven that he could not, under any circumstances, let the ones he cared about suffer.

"Lives are at stake. My honour cannot save them. So be it, then."

He had already had Qrow and the Research Division provide him with large quantities of the substances he would need. They were all within three feet of him.

Lying down on the ground, he closed his eyes, and began to pull himself apart telekinetically, molecule by molecule.

======================================================================

"He's been in there for seventy two hours already. This is far enough, Qrow. We must get him out," said Glynda.

"He asked for three days," replied the man agitatedly.

"It's been three days. We don't know what's going on in there! What he might be trying to do! Someone can't go that long without rest, without food, without sleep."

"He can absorb nutrients directly, we already know this-"

"That's not a human is supposed to live!" snapped Glynda. "We don't know the possible long term consequences of what he's doing! For God's sake, Qrow, you were the one who said he was a human being! Remember that!"

Qrow looked down, gritting his teeth. He knew she was right. But what he was doing was important too. It was imperative that more became known about the Mutates. And it was imperative that Beacon obtain more power to fight them. And the one who could make all of that happen was Jaune.

But it had been three days already.

What if he had tried something risky, like altering his body again?

What if he had failed?

He was about to open the door to enter the lab, when it opened by itself.

It slid open upwards.

There was no mysterious cloud of smoke. It was not a pressurized chamber, so there was none of that. No lights to blind one.

In other words, there was nothing that delayed Qrow from seeing the sight in front of him.

It hit him instantly.

His eyes widened. On instinct, a hand reached for his gun.

"That's unnecessary, Captain," said a familiar voice. "Besides, guns can't hurt me. Not anymore."

Qrow opened his mouth, and breathed.

"Arc? Is that you?"

Even Glynda had taken a step back, staring in shock.

The being that had emerged from the lab was not the same boy who had entered it.

He was a few inches taller, though at full extension, he would have been much more so. At the moment, his legs were slightly bent forward at the knees. An additional joint had been added where the ankles would normally have been. Meanwhile, the ankles themselves were lower, and his feet were longer, culminating in three clawed toes each. His torso was slightly bent forward, and his arms were longer. Aside from all of this, all his joints were larger: his very skeleton seemed to have become bigger. With every movement, lean muscle rippled all over his frame, which was packed with more power than any human body could possibly hold. A large, scaled tail extended from his back, culminating in a sharp, bladed projection. He was entirely in the nude, though natural scales covered his genitals, and to some extent his shoulders.

The face was still that of Jaune Arc. But where once there had been gold, his hair had been bleached white. And the once blue eyes were now blood red.

"It's me," he answered.

"What are you?" whispered Glynda.

"Humanity's best chance. You've both kept my secret well. But if it is at the price of others' lives, then it is no longer a secret I can keep."

Qrow shook his head.

No matter how he looked at him, the similarities were obvious, and right there for him to see. He was a human Wolvenheim.

"What have you done? You've made yourself one of _them_?"

It wasn't revulsion in his voice. It was regret.

Arc had many faults, but his heart was in the right place. Qrow knew this by now. For him to resort to turning himself into one of those _monsters…_

"What have you done?" he echoed, voice hollow.

Jaune smiled, his face now showing an understanding that a boy of that age did not generally have.

"I wasn't human before, Qrow. This is just the next step in what I had started. Altered musculoskeletal structure, internal organs, neural tissue. Altered chemical composition. Altered biology. I am what I need to be. An Empowered with the abilities of a Mutate."

Glynda shook her head in horror and regret.

"You've destroyed your own life."

"No. I've given it meaning. My life has meaning because I can fight for all of you. And now, I have the power to do it."

"At what cost, Mr. Arc? We're older. Qrow and I… we've seen hell. So we can at least accept this change, even if we can't understand it. But the ones you care about… your friends. They're still young. What if they cannot?"

"Hey, some of them are Faunuses," he said.

When neither of them brightened up, he sighed.

"Look, it's too late to go back now, and I don't want to, anyway. The procedure was a success. I'm going to go forward, and see what I can do in my new form. I do understand your fears, though. Which is why I programmed in some levels of release into my body."

"Levels of release?" asked Qrow.

Jaune nodded.

"A pair of pants would be nice."

As he spoke, his body began to morph. The legs regained regular human anatomy, and his posture once more became the same as it used to be. He still retained the muscle he had gained though, as well as his new tail, though the bladelike projection on it retracted to some extent, and became blunter. His eyes also remained red.

Also the scales covering his shoulders and genitals were now gone, which meant, he was actually nude.

In a true testament to human biological instincts, Glynda covered up her eyes, while still leaving enough place between her fingers to look.

"Mr. Arc! Some warning would have been nice! Arghh!"

"Okay," said Qrow. "I've officially seen more of you than I ever wanted to see. I'm going to get you a pair of pants."

With that, the veteran Eliminator all but sprinted away.

=====================================================================

Pyrrha paused for a moment to take a breath. This was going to be difficult. But she had spent three days thinking about this. And it was something she needed to do. No matter how much it hurt. All the evidence pointed to this.

She walked over to where Yang was standing near a window.

"Can we talk for a moment?"

The blonde offered no reply initially, but ultimately spoke without turning around.

"You're already talking."

Pyrrha nodded, accepting this.

"I've done some thinking."

"Wow, that's new for you, huh? How'd it go?"

The redhead could feel her anger surge slightly in response, but calmed herself. She knew that the rebuke was justified. She had done a lot of damage.

"You were right," she said.

Yang turned around to look at her, disbelievingly.

Pyrrha had a sad smile on her face, with none of the aggression she'd shown recently.

"You really are better for him. He's happier with you than he's ever been with me. I never stopped to think about it. Once I did, it was obvious. I.. don't want to be this poisonous person I've become. From here…"

It was clear that every word was becoming increasingly hard to say, but she carried on, through the tears that were now rolling down her face.

"... The two of you should be happy."

Before Yang could say a word, she turned around, and walked away quickly.

"Idiot… you're wrong again."

======================================================================

Jaune stood outside the door to the Recruit Living Quarters. This was it. He'd gone through with altering his body again. He'd done it because he thought it was the best choice. And as much as he'd shrugged it off in front of Qrow and Glynda, he was still worried about how the others would react.

It was a scary thing. When you cared about someone, their feelings mattered. And thus, they have power over you. For Jaune, giving others that kind of power was something new. But he cared about the other Recruits. That was just how things were. There was no running away. He'd have to face them, no matter what they thought about his new form.

Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward, and the door opened.

"Well, I'm back," he said, to the room in general.

They turned to look at him, and as one, their expression was shock and awe.

"Jaune?"

Ruby was the first to speak.

"What happened to you?"

There was no simple way to say this, no way to sugarcoat it or explain it away, or hide it with a lie.

So Jaune opted for the truth.

"You all wanted to know what my Ability was. It's telekinesis. The range is limited, and I can't move a lot of mass at once. But I can manipulate matter at the molecular level. Over the course of ten years, I used it to rebuild my body, altering my genes, altering almost all my tissue. That's why I'm stronger, faster, sturdier, heal up better, last longer. But going up against the Mutates showed me it wasn't enough. I needed more. So… I did it again. Rebuilt myself again. My new physiology…"

He paused for a moment.

"... is largely the same as a Mutate. A particular one, the Wolvenheim."

He looked around at them apprehensively, waiting for their reaction to the news.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid that they'd be disgusted.

But to his surprise, the only reaction most of them showed was shock. Like they were still struggling to take it in.

Neither Pyrrha nor Yang were in the room, and he felt his heart sink a little. He'd been looking forward to seeing them again, even if neither of them had said a word to him since his confession to both of them.

"Well? Saying something right about now would be nice, you know?" said Jaune, who was on edge a little from the silence.

The one who spoke out first wasn't the one he was expecting.

"You're still you, right? There's no reason to treat you differently just because you look different."

He turned towards the one who had said that.

Blake took a step forward.

She was staring curiously at his red eyes, and his tail.

"May I?" she asked softly.

Jaune nodded. It made sense that as a Faunus, she'd be curious. Humans with animal features had existed for a long time. Humans with Mutate features? He was the first.

She approached, and reached out tentatively towards his tail. Slowly, she inched closer, until she touched it. It felt leathery, almost reptilian. Responding to her, it curled and uncurled, then extended towards her. The powerful muscles underneath flexed, and she could feel them clearly with her hand. She was rather familiar to it because she had met Faunus with reptilian traits before. In this case, it was slightly unnerving at first, but she got over it, and before she knew it, she was running her hand gently along it.

It took a moment before she realized what she was doing, and caught herself.

Cheeks slightly flushed, she looked up at Jaune, and at his hair, which was now white.

"How did that happen?"

"Side-effect of the changes. Lost all the eumelanin."

"Hmm. Suits you quite well," said Blake.

By now, others had drawn closer as well.

Ruby was examining him from various angles, exhibiting her classic disregard for personal space.

"You've gotten more jacked, huh?" she said.

"The Wolvenheim possessed a great deal of muscle mass. I couldn't have gained his level of strength without bulking up myself."

"That's… actually wicked cool how you can just do that," said Ruby.

Roman and Neo were also checking him out, and the former chose this moment to ask his own question.

"So, is the only thing you gained a bigger bench press? Or something else too?"

Jaune grinned slightly.

"Ruby, give me some space."

The dark-haired girl back away a little, and Jaune raised one arm in front of him. He clenched his fist, and the spin on the back of his forearm peel away, allowing a bony protrusion to emanate from within. It grew to around a foot and a half in length. Slightly curved, it was bladed, and culminated in a sharp tip.

He had the satisfaction of seeing Roman and even Neo's jaw drop.

He retracted the blade back into his arm.

"Well, this is my human form," he said. "What you saw just now was a partial transformation."

"Wait, human form? Partial?" asked Roman. "Are you saying there's a full transformation too?"

"Two levels of them, yes," said Jaune. "I'm vastly restricted like this. The second form lifts those restrictions to an extent. The third form removes them completely, allowing me to reveal the extent of my Mutate physiology."

"You can turn into a Wolvenheim?" Roman asked.

The entire room held its breath.

"Yeah," said Jaune. "For all practical intents and purposes."

"That," said Ruby, "Is so cool."

Jaune looked at her in surprise.

"Really? I thought you would all hate me."

Ruby shook her head.

"Why would we do that- oh, you mean because you have Mutate traits now. Of course we wouldn't hate you! We hate the Mutates, because they are bloodthirsty beasts who kill humans. But you aren't that! Sure, you might have the body of one, but you're still _you._ Still Jaune."

He looked around, and everyone, even the boys, who had all been pissed at him since he confessed to both Yang and Pyrrha, looked glad to see him back.

He sighed in relief. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note (PLEASE READ): So, you're either good at writing lemons, or you're not. I don't think I'm very good at them, but I do rather enjoy writing them, so if you don't like the one in this chapter, hard luck. Anyway, you've been warned. It is quite explicit, so if that's not your thing, just skip it. I'm not going to put spoiler tags in the chapter itself, since that will ruin the experience for people who DO want to read the lemon. This chapter serves as the conclusion to the Yang-Jaune-Pyrrha triangle arc.**

**Chapter 12: Three As One**

**Yang's POV:**

It had been three days since Jaune had been called away by Qrow. Three days since his confession. At the time when he left, no one had any idea where he was going, what he was going for. Beacon was like that. The Recruits knew almost nothing about the Institute, despite the fact that they were part of the active fighting force. Yang had wondered where he had been taken. She wasn't overly worried. Her uncle could be a little difficult at times, but his heart was in the right place, and he wouldn't allow one of his warriors to be made part of some kind of unnecessarily dangerous activity. Well, to be fair, Jaune was the type who would dive headfirst into danger as though it were the most enjoyable thing in the world. _That _ was the bit she was concerned about. What if he finally jumped into a rabbit hole he couldn't dig his way out of?

It made her realize: she couldn't just stop thinking about him, and remove him from her life. The thought of doing that hurt. And… she couldn't just go back to being just acquaintances, or even friends. No, that just wasn't an option. The more she thought about it, the more she realized, her feelings were too strong. It felt _wrong_ to think about a world where they weren't together. She was drawn to him, by a raw attraction. And she felt right when she was with him. Happy. And when he had said he liked her, her heart could have burst with happiness. At the time, she was blown away by the fact that he hadn't just confessed to her, but to someone else as well. But looking back on it, she realized: it didn't matter. The really important thing was that he liked her.

Jaune was many things. And on a very practical level, he could be closed off, and hide information. But when it came to his feelings, he was worse than useless at pretending, or trying to conceal the truth. Yang realized she couldn't really place him against the usual standards. She knew nothing about his past, but it was clear enough from seeing him that he had been through some things that no one should have to go through. She also understood that this had been his own choice. Once upon a time, Yang might have thought that anyone who bit off more than they could chew was getting exactly what they had coming to them, but that wasn't the case anymore. At the end of the day, he was just 23 years old, like her. Empowered were already isolated and shunned in society, since ordinary humans saw them as a reminder of the Mutates. This was despite the fact that Mutants and Empowered were the first and strongest line of defence humanity had. Jaune would have had to struggle against that isolation, all while putting himself through the enormous stress of whatever process it took to become the warrior he was now.

And she had a feeling he'd done it alone.

Maybe that's why he'd latched on so strongly to everyone else. It was only natural. This was his first real taste of company, of being with people who wanted him around.

There was something endearing about the simple way he went about that. Lacking any other way to show that he cared, he would throw himself headfirst against whatever obstacle they had to face, so that he could protect the others.

Yang couldn't really consider someone like that by normal human standards, especially those of Vale society.

There was no doubt Jaune's feelings were real, and he certainly wasn't the sort of scumbag who would string multiple partners along just for his own enjoyment.

No, as impossible as it sounded, he had simply fallen for both Pyrrha Nikos and Yang Xiao Long.

While they were at it, Yang realized it was very much possible that he had similar feelings for the other Recruits too.

They were bonded together by the danger they faced together.

And more importantly, they were bonded together by their choice to face it all as one.

Despite all the disagreements, the problems, the fights, the struggle, they were still all here, together. That was what it took, to make a family.

Thinking of that made Yang feel warm inside.

She'd already had a family. Ruby, and Qrow. There was her father, Taiyang. She'd had a stepmother, Summer, who she had been close to. And, somewhere out there, was her biological mother, Raven.

But here and now, with the Recruits: this was where she belonged.

Given all of that, she understood why Jaune felt the way he did.

Any relationship Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha would have with each other, or anyone else, wouldn't be in isolation. Yang couldn't, at this point, imagine any of the Recruits falling for someone who _wasn't_ one of them. They all cared about each other, too strongly for that.

And that was precisely why things had gotten so heated between all of them.

In Yang's experience, triangles like this generally ended badly, with either one or all three of the individuals parting ways or becoming extremely toxic towards each other.

But that hadn't been the case.

Even at her worse, Yang had never thought of Pyrrha as an enemy.

The redhead herself, who had been desperate to hold on to Jaune, had actually finally decided to back off, if it meant Jaune and Yang could be happy.

And Jaune himself had refused to abandon either of them.

Even the other Recruits, who could have been (justifiably, from their point of view) pissed off about all of this, had ultimately accepted it, and aside from the boys initially being cold towards Jaune, not done anything else to make things toxic.

Heck, the other girls had pretty much not even been angry.

All of this led to the conclusion Yang had finally arrived at after three hard days.

Yes, it was all real. She would be with Jaune, and very likely, it wouldn't just be the two of them.

And that was okay.

Which meant, the person she needed to find right now, wasn't Jaune Arc.

It was Pyrrha Nikos.

As she walked away to find the redhead, it occurred to her that there were two strange exceptions to all her conclusions.

Roman Torchwick and Neopolitan.

She shrugged.

Every family had its weirdos.

And that was okay too.

**Jaune's POV:**

"I didn't just come back with a body that's part Mutate. I came back with information."

Around him, the other Recruits were still in awe from the arm blade he had just shown them. He looked at them all. These were good people. And none of them would die out on the field. They'd live to be happy and fulfilled. He'd make sure of it.

"The way we've been fighting them is all wrong," he said. "And a large part of the blame for that goes to me."

This was even more shocking. Jaune had always been supremely confident in his own abilities, and had never hesitated to engage the enemy alone. To see and hear him come out and admit freely that he was at fault was incredible. It was enough that even the boys, who were still slightly resentful of how much female attention he got, forgot their anger.

"Oho?" said Roman, his eyes gleaming. "Now this is new. I'll bite, Jauney. Let's hear where this is going."

Jaune looked at him for a moment.

Despite his mocking tone, Jaune knew what he was doing, easing the conversation along. He smiled slightly. Roman Torchwick was probably far and away the smartest of them all in terms of everyday intelligence.

"Well, firstly, we, I, got carried away after the fight against the Liminal. I was able to take it on alone and win, and that gave me a skewed perception of how I stacked up against Mutates. In clear terms, I underestimated them. This came back to bite me in the ass when I took on the Wolvenheim."

Everyone nodded. While most of them hadn't been able to actually see the action from how far away they were, they had seen the state Jaune was in when they finally reached him afterwards.

"Yang almost died trying to bail me out, because I underestimated our opponent. I can't make the same mistake again. So I studied him. I studied the Wolvenheim, inside and out, and worked his biological design into my own body. Now, every Mutate species is different, so what I learned from him won't apply to every enemy we face. But, I came to some general conclusions, which should be helpful. I can't force anyone to do what I say, but believe me, I don't want _any _of you to die. I've been arrogant before, and I was wrong. Let me change. Let me help us all.

There was a sincerity to his words that eased whatever remained of the tension.

Sun Wukong finally spoke.

"Dude pulling these lines straight outta movies. Talk about cheesy."

Jaune cringed slightly, but Sun was smiling.

"All right, Jaune. You've made your point. We'll hear you out, right everyone?"

There was a murmur of assent, and Jaune sighed in relief.

He walked over and brought one of the study tables and placed it in front of everyone so that they could form a circle around it. Grabbing a marker and a large sheet of paper, he made a diagram depicting various dots that seemed to be randomly placed.

"This is us right now. You can all see there's no order to how we're working. No precision. And all that is because we've all not been making the best use of our abilities."

He circled a particular dot.

"I've been running headfirst without a plan, without preparation."

He then circled another dot.

"Yang has been trying to back me up, or attack on her own, pretty much the same way I have."

He circled everyone else.

"Once two people start working without a plan, order collapses, and no one ends up making effective use of our Abilities."

He flipped the paper over, and drew a new formation, looking much more organized, on the other side.

Two dots were placed ahead of the rest, and he circled both of these.

"Ruby's Ability is supersonic speed. She'll likely be faster than most Mutates. With my new powers, I'm around the same speed. The two of us are ideal scouts. We run ahead, check out an area, then report back."

He wrote down an important point to be noted.

"But going in blind is stupid, even for scouts. We need to see where we're going. I've already got the Research Division working on special goggles. The Liminal proved that infrared tracking isn't always reliable. But you can be sure, any multicellular organism with a nervous system will show EMG activity. So I've got them working on EMG sights. We check out the area with that first, then Ruby and I go in."

He circled a blank area on the paper.

"Let's say this is where we locate the targets. We scope out the environment. If we can use it to trigger some traps and do damage, we do it. Or we simply confirm that the targets are the ones we were expecting. And we go back."

He wrote down details of a weapon on the paper.

"This is the exact same warhead Pyrrha used against the Wolvenheim. It failed because we were counting only on piercing through. Armoured Mutates can tank a lot of force, and are hard to pierce. But this will help us bypass their durability."

He wrote down some complex looking equations, and quickly drew a few rough diagrams.

"It'll take a long time to explain, but it's possible to manufacture a device that can replicate some effects of telekinesis. In this case, the device will generate a field which destabilizes the molecular bonds of a substance it comes into contact with. _That's _what we tip the warhead with. We now have a ballista bolt with five kilometres of range, near-perfect accuracy, and almost guaranteed piercing power."

He drew certain dots outside the area he had circled earlier.

"Pyrrha will shoot as many times as she can, eliminating all the targets she can hit. If there are any that survive, they'll be coming at us. Now, I think carrying firearms is a good idea, but expecting them to work is not. We'll have metal dust instead, carried in sealed containers. Pyrrha can use this to rip anything in her range to shreds. It'll be best if the rest of us give her some distance so that she can use this without worrying about us. I'll be running backup. My Wolvenheim form can tank the dust, so if anything survives and heads towards her, I'll take it out."

He circled several other dots.

"Sun's armour is powerful. He can charge right into a fight and tank enemy attacks. If we give him, say, a sword with the molecular-bond disrupting device powering its blade, he can go right though a Mutate.

Blake's flexibility means she can absorb damage and change shape to nullify it. She'll be hard to hit too, and can attack from unexpected angles. Maybe some kind of whip with that special blade on its end, and she instantly becomes a nightmare for Mutate hordes.

Ruby's fast, but hasn't got much durability. Doesn't matter. She'll stay on the outer edges of a fight, using her speed to stay out of melee range. All the while, she's going to be peppering them with small arms fire. But you see, it won't be regular bullets. No, these will be corrosive rounds. No matter what you're made of, if it's organic, you won't react well with it. If they don't outright die, they'll be in pain, unable to react to Blake and Sun.

Once they're weakened enough, everyone backs up, out of range. Nora's a lightning absorber, right? Well, I can pull electrons out of the air, 30 kg worth of them at a time. I'll pump her full of as much juice as she can handle. I know she can project the electricity from her body too, and she's got much more range than me. Well, she's going to lightning bolt whatever Mutates survive the initial attack, and they'll be too weak to tank it.

At this point, it should already be over, but we have so much more to go.

You realize that the biggest part of our arsenal, Coco, will still have plenty left to go. And there'll be Velvet too. A solid light construct of something like a catapult or a grenade launcher. We could have corrosive grenades made. If we run out of rounds, I can make something up on the fly.

Yang will still be fresh. When I healed her, I upgraded her durability. She should be able to absorb a lot more energy now, and her body can break down foreign substances better. Whatever she took before she came in to help me? She can use it again, without hurting herself this time. So we have a power brawler in reserve.

I'll be running support when all of this is going down.

If anything manages to survive, Yang and I will take it down together.

There are variations of the formation that factor in possible water-based terrain, where Neptune, Weiss and Nora all become more effective.

In an emergency situation, we have Ren, who can effectively become a backup version of pretty much any one of us except me. Since his power only copies Abilities, he won't be able to replicate my altered body, only my telekinesis, which I don't recommend using. We don't want him setting off a nuclear reaction by accident.

But yeah, all in all, that's some of the stuff I have planned. There are other weapons I'm thinking of, even armour. The material the Wolvenheim's outer scales are made of is about as close to invincible as anything, and way better than what you guys are using right now.

So… what do you all think?"

Jaune, who had been speaking continuously for almost ten minutes, finally stopped, and looked around.

It wasn't just awe he saw in their eyes. It was eagerness. Hope.

"Dude… is all this for real? You came up with this stuff?" asked Neptune.

"Yeah. A lot of work needs to be done before it can be made, and then there's testing, and we need to do teamwork drills, but yeah-"

"This is frigging crazy," said Sun, interrupting him. "You've been hiding this kind of knowhow from us?"

"Well, I didn't know this much about the Mutates three days ago. But now, I think we have a good starting point. So… are you all with me on this?"

He watched them carefully for their reaction.

"You need to ask? I'm down with this. It'll be good going out there with a real plan and a way to do damage," said Sun.

"I second that," said Neptune. "I'm interested in that armour too."

"Well, if there's one thing Jauney boy has proved, he knows how to battle. So I'll go with his plan," said Roman. Next to him, Neo nodded, looking eager.

"Jaune, this is amazing," said Ruby. "Do you realize how much this is going to improve our chances against them?"

"A lot, hopefully," said Jaune. "But yeah, we need every advantage we can get."

Others had similar thoughts of approval, though many remained silent, coming to terms with their own thoughts about the new methods that had been revealed… and about Jaune.

**Pyrrha's POV:**

There were several training rooms at Beacon that were open to the Recruits at all hours. Pyrrha would sometimes visit them outside of classes when she wanted to train in private, or just get away from the others. Today, however, she wasn't in one of these rooms. Beacon did have large outdoor grounds, and while most of the training took place indoors, Recruits were allowed outside the buildings as long as they stayed within Beacon.

It was in this field that she sat. She didn't really feel like training. Not at the moment.

"I had a feeling I'd find you out here," said a familiar voice.

"Go away, Yang."

"Sorry, not happening."

Pyrha turned around to see the blonde standing behind her. Yang's expression softened when she saw the Mistralian's eyes rimmed with red.

"What do you want?"

"To tell you that you don't need to do this. That you _shouldn't _do this."

Pyrrha uttered a hollow laugh.

"It's the only thing I _can _do, isn't it? There's no way he can be happy with me around-"

Yang cut her off right there.

"There's no way he can be happy _without_ you around."

She walked over and sat down on the grass next to her.

"Look, I did a lot of thinking, okay? And yeah, you were right. You were becoming kinda toxic."

Pyrrha looked down. She knew how true that was.

"But," Yang continued, "I know that's not who you really are. Jaune knows it too. And you've realized the problem, right? That's the first step to getting better. You know _why_ you were becoming that person? It's because you were afraid. And I know where that fear is coming from. I've felt it too."

The redhead looked surprised at this honest and vulnerable side of Yang. The blonde wasn't exactly known for opening up like this.

"But the truth is, Jaune really does like the _both_ of us. And… he isn't the type to lie, or just leave. It was scary at first. But I realized… I'm okay with that. I don't know how much of this I should say, but… it's very likely that he also-"

"-Has feelings for other Recruits?" finished Pyrrha.

Yang's eyes widened.

"I thought the same," said the redhead, looking away. "And I know those feelings aren't shallow, or fake. I even know that it's not like he's dividing his feelings. He wants to give all of us a hundred percent."

"Then what's holding you back? Is this about not wanting to share?"

"No, I've realized that I took that too far. You're all my teammates too. No, I'm just afraid I'll ruin everything, and end up hurting everyone again."

In a completely unexpected gesture, Yang reached and held Pyrrha's hand.

"People automatically hurt the ones they love, despite all efforts not to. It's learning to live with one's mistakes, and improve on them, that makes a relationship. Look, Pyrrha, I can't force you to do anything. But Jaune will be waiting. He'll probably be waiting for you, right until the end. Don't you want to go to him?"

At that moment, all the doubts, the fears, the insecurity, everything trying to bring Pyrrha down came to a head, but she was able to overcome it with a single leap of faith.

"Yes, I do."

Even as she said the words, she was crying.

Yang smiled at her.

"Then what are we waiting for? Come on."

It took the two of them only moments to return to the living quarters.

It was around time for dinner, so the Recruits would most likely be in the dining hall.

But Yang had a feeling Jaune would have waited up for the two of them because he was eager to see them.

She knew she was.

Pyrrha took a deep breath.

This was it. She was nervous, but she was going to go through with it. There were so many ways this could end in disaster. But, if there was a chance they could be together, she would take it.

The two of them took a step forward, and the door slid open.

**Jaune's POV:**

Time had passed by. The others had already left for dinner. He had stayed behind, explaining that there were two people he had to meet. Everyone understood, of course, and surprisingly, were even OK with it. Ruby had even whispered a quiet "good luck" before they all left.

And so, here he was, waiting for them.

He'd thought he'd get to see them when he returned after his transformation, but they hadn't been here. Of course, he could go search for them. But he had a feeling that wouldn't be right. He'd told them how he felt. They needed time to answer. So, he could only wait. He had a feeling they'd tell him tonight though. So here he was.

As the moments passed by, he could feel his heartbeat speed up. He was keenly aware of how his body was reacting, with both nervousness and anticipation. He felt eager. Whatever the answer, he had to know. He felt powerfully drawn to both girls. It was even stronger now than before. The Wolvenheim was predominantly a creature of instinct, and in applying his design to himself, Jaune now possessed many of his traits. While he was still quite human mentally, there were changes to how he felt, perceived the world, and thought. For example, there were less doubts. The habit of constantly analysing was gone, replaced by simply allowing himself to take in the sensations from his now considerably enhanced senses. Many filters were gone from his thought process too.

Just when the wait was becoming unbearable, the door slid open.

Jaune looked up, and his heart leapt.

Two pairs of eyes looked into his own, one green, the other lilac.

He got up, and the three of them approached each other.

Pyrrha and Yang both stared, wide eyed.

"Jaune?" said Pyrrha softly.

"What happened to you?" said Yang.

"Remember the Wolvenheim we fought? He's still alive. Turned out they were holding him in a tank in the Research Division. So they brought me in to analyse his body. I realized how badly we were doing against the Mutates. So I studied him. Learned about him. And then, I used molecular telekinesis to alter my body, gaining many of his abilities and attributes."

Yang and Pyrrha both remembered that he had mentioned once that his ability was telekinesis, and that he could use it to manipulate matter. Neither of them had thought that he was capable of something like this though.

"So you turned yourself into a human Wolvenheim? Just like that?" said Yang, staring intensely into his eyes, her voice low. "Is this what it's like to be a god? You can just do… whatever you want?"

"I'm not a god. I could have died. Worse, if I made a single mistake while altering my genes, I could have become a vegetable. It could have failed many times during the process."

"And you did it anyway?"

"Yes."

Pyrrha spoke up.

"This is how you gained your powers before, isn't it? You modified your body."

"Yes. It took me ten years the first time. But I learnt a lot from it. Which is why I was able to do it in three days this time, though the changes were far more complex."

"I'd tell you that you didn't need to do this. That you don't need to keep putting yourself at risk like this. But you'd do it again anyway, wouldn't you?

"No. I don't want to take a risk like this again in a long time. I've had enough. I want to be happy."

All three of them had drawn closer to each other now.

Both girls smiled at him.

"That's a coincidence, because we want to be happy too."

Jaune's eyes widened for a moment.

"Does that mean?"

There are many times in life when Yang Xiao Long's quips are uncalled for, and unwanted. But at this precise moment, she was able to pull off a one-liner that was not only apt, but a fantastic comic book reference.

"You just hit the jackpot, tiger."

With no one else around, and likely not coming back for a while, there was no longer any reason to hold themselves back.

Leaning in slightly, Yang kissed Jaune softly. Almost tentatively at first, their lips touched, slowly exploring each other, revelling in the warm wetness. It felt almost tantalising how the lilac eyed vixen was barely brushing her lips against Jaune. Hungry for more, he leaned into it, and was surprised when she responded with matching eagerness, opening her mouth wider, and snaking her tongue into his mouth. Unable to resist any longer, he reached out a hand and pulled her closer, till she was right up against him. Her soft breasts were touching Jaune's chest, squeezed against his body. They were amazing, and Jaune could feel the warmth radiating off her, emboldening him. He thrust his own tongue deeper into her mouth aggressively, running it over every inch of her inside. Right away, he was rewarded by the sound of Yang moaning softly into the kiss.

By now, Pyrrha's own eagerness was almost overpowering. Not willing to be left out a second longer, she drew closer as well. Seeing as Jaune's mouth was occupied, she decided to go ahead and give him the chance to do something she knew he wanted to do, ever since the incident in the showers. Taking hold of his free hand, she guided it, without ado, right down her shorts, to her special place.

So surprised was Jaune, his eyes opened wide and turned to Pyrrha, even as Yang was ferociously devouring him.

Pyrrha didn't need to say a word. The lust in her eyes, the light red blush on her cheeks, and the biting of her own lips, the universal signal of "I want you right NOW."

Almost of his own accord, Jaune felt around with his hand.

The redhead was already quite wet down there, proof of how badly she wanted this. After all this time of not being able to do it, having Pyrrha herself show, rather than say, that she wanted him to touch her, nearly pushed him over the edge.

He rubbed gently along her lips, taking his time and not rushing. Slowly, he worked his way to her folds and ran his finger along them. Pyrrha squirmed in pleasure and grabbed on to his wrist with both hands, pushing it upwards. He obliged by sliding one finger inside, and moving it gently in and out. As he did so, he changed his angle a little, so he was also brushing her clit with every movement.

"Aaaah…"

In the throes of pleasure, Pyrrha was now leaning on Jaune's shoulder, biting him. It only encouraged him to turn up the intensity. By now, his other hand had moved down from Yang's waist to her ass, and he squeezed it hard, even while pulling her closer so that she was grinding against his very erect dick.

"Aaah… mmm… Jaune… no fair… you've been packing a greatsword down here all this time…"

Jaune was no expert in the bedroom one liner game, but the opportunity to pay Yang back for all her teasing was too good to pass up on.

Bringing his mouth to her ears, he whispered in a low voice.

"Stick around, and maybe I'll put it in your sheathe."

The result was Yang all but gyrating her hips against him as she tried to eat his face. Drawing back for a moment, she took off her top, and unceremoniously dumped her bra, greeting Jaune with the sight of the two most glorious breasts he had ever seen. Taking her gym shorts off with a cute wiggle of her hips, she took Jaune's other hand, and guided it to the spot right below a cute tuft of blonde hair.

"You. In here. Now."

"Yes, ma'am."

With a finger each now inside both girls, Jaune upped the tempo. Both Yang and Pyrrha were moaning loudly now, eyes glazed over in pleasure.

"Jaune… I'm about to…"  
"...Come!"

They both came at the same time, squirting and dousing his hands in copious amounts of sweet, warm juices.

Both girls stood panting, even as Jaune stood for a moment, looking at his own hands.

"Okay. I'm officially glad to be alive."

As if his was the signal, Yang and Pyrrha instantly snapped back to life. With great speed, they each grabbed onto one side of the waistband of his shorts, and pulled, ripping the garment in half. With nothing but a pair of briefs (which was absolutely insufficient), the need for imagination was removed as Jaune's shaft was in clear view. The girls pulled off the underwear as though it were an offensive item, and his dick bounced right up as it was let free.

For a brief moment, the two girls just looked at it.

"This isn't a greatsword. It's a legendary sword."

"Have I mentioned, I _really_ like what I see?"

Pyrrha and Yang had drool running down their chins now. Without any more time wasted, they both latched onto the rod at the same time, in perfect coordination. Working as a team, they ran their tongues along its length, till they both got to the head which they wrapped their lips around in a kiss. Jaune shuddered and grunted as waves of ecstasy swept through him, unconsciously reaching out to grab the heads of the two girls, and bring them closer. Very happily, they took the chance, using their lips and tongues in all manner of ways to please him. Taking turns, one of them bobbed up and down on his shaft while the other lovingly ran their tongue over his balls. After a while, they switched positions.

By now, Jaune's restraint was a shattered mess.

Barely managing to get the words out, he grunted.

"I want to… put it in you… Yang, Pyrrha."

Yang, who was already in a state of complete undress, gleefully volunteered as she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Something clicked in her mind. Today was not a safe day.

She felt the strongest urge to do it anyway, consequences be damned.

As if reading her mind, Jaune spoke up.

"What you're thinking of can't happen. My genes… aren't compatible with humans… or Empowered."

This was all she needed to hear.

"Put in me already."

Grabbing onto her ass with both hands, he lifted her off the ground, positioning her so that they'd be aligned. Feeling around a little bit, he found her womanhood with his head, and slowly pushed.

Yang grunted in pain as she adjusted to having him inside.

"Are you all right?" he asked. As soon as he thought he might be hurting her, he stopped.

"I'm okay," she said, looking at him with half-lidded eyes. He could be adorable when he was concerned. "Just be a little gentle, tiger."

He nodded, and slowly pulled back before thrusting again. Her warm, wet walls were wrapped tight around him, and it was impossible to describe how good it felt. Keeping the tempo slow, he allowed her reactions to guide him as to what was working and what wasn't.

"Jaune… I'm… I'm about to come…"

Without waiting for an answer, she rammed her lips against his, even as he pushed all the way into her. Yang all but screamed as she orgasmed, hanging onto his shoulder, panting.

One of the benefits of a superhuman body was superhuman stamina.

Jaune junior was still up and ready to go.

Gently, he pulled out and lowered Yang to the ground. She managed to stay up by holding onto him as she caught her breath, before finally sitting down.

By now, Pyrrha was almost insane from the waiting.

He turned to her, and she smiled hungrily, as she took off her clothes. Jaune had seen her in lingerie before, but seeing her completely nude was an entirely different experience.

Her lithe frame, narrow waist, full hips and perky breasts drove him crazy.

"Come here," he said.

"Coming Jaune," she replied in her musical tone.

Instead of waiting for him, she got down on all fours, facing her wonderful round ass towards Jaune.

"Well?" she asked teasingly.

Jaune all but dove in.

Placing his head against her pussy, he slowly slid in, and was greeted with a rough moan of pleasure from the redhead.

She was quite vocal about how this felt.

"Fuck, yes! Fuck me."

Grabbing onto her butt, Jaune decided his next move was worth a try, and gently smacked her ass with a free hand.

"Oh, yes, Daddy!"

If Jaune got any harder, he'd be made of diamond.

He began to thrust, slowly at first, and when he was sure she could handle it, faster and faster. He was very glad he'd taken the time to learn how to restrict his strength to human levels for everyday life.

Pyrrha's loud screams of pleasure, and the feeling of her walls squeezing tighter and tighter against him were bringing him closer to the edge. He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

When he thought was about done, Pyrrha finally came, with a moan that sounded like it should have woken up everyone in Beacon.

"Pyrrha… I'm at my limit…"

Once upon a time, the redhead would have been selfish enough to just ask him to finish inside her. But Yang had been good to her. Doing such a thing now was unthinkable.

"Slide it out and spray it over both of us, Daddy."

A combination of bedroom talk and genuine consideration that could only be heard in a place as crazy as Beacon.

Yang, who had recovered plenty of energy by now, eagerly came forward, and both girls waited expectantly as Jaune ran his hand a few more times along his length, and finally, spurted out all over them, covering them in ropes and ropes of thick, white stuff.

"You're packing a lot of firepower, huh, Jaune?"

"Kinda ruining the moment, Yang," he managed to say, weak in the knees as he was at the moment.

"Sorry," she said. The busty blonde was licking her fingers clean of Jaune's juices, even as her drops of them still glittered on her breasts.

"I can help with that," said Pyrrha.

_Oh, fuck._

Jaune watched, unable to tear his eyes away, as the two unspeakably hot women who had somehow ended up his girlfriends, licked each other clean of _his cum._

"Okay, I gotta go," he said. If he watched this any longer, he'd be hard all over again, and then they'd do again, and basically be caught in an infinite loop.

"Hey, wait up!"

The blonde and redhead quickly gathered up their clothes and chased after him, even as he headed to the showers to get cleaned up.

The three of them had finally overcome their issues.

Pyrrha had come to terms with her selfishness, and learned to overcome it while trusting Yang.

Yang had accepted that her feelings were all right, that what society believed shouldn't come in the way of what she knew was right.

Jaune had put aside his isolationist nature, and learned to love and care for others.

It was the start of a brand new world for the three of them, and they couldn't be happier.

Of course, they were unaware that a certain cat faunus had predicted something of this nature might happen, and left a camera cleverly hidden by a book cover to record it all.

But what happened from there is the subject of chapters yet to come.

**Bonus Post Chapter Ending:**

"_Unhh… Ahhhh…. Ahh…."_

The excited articulations of the three young adults echoed from the sound recording devices, even as the cameras showed exactly what they were doing.

Ozpin sighed and pressed the button that turned off the screens, before hitting another button that deleted the footage.

Over the intercom, he heard a dejected voice.

"Oh, come on, sir! I was watching that!"

"We are unscrupulous scientists, Ivan. Not perverts. Get back to work on building the armour based on Wolvenheim scale tissue."

"Yes, sir."

_**The Gold Dragon Route has now been unlocked. Additional CGs have now been unlocked.**_

_**The Mistralian Warrior Route has now been unlocked. Additional CGs have now been unlocked.**_

_**New scenario unlocked: A Cat's Prey.**_

_**New character mods unlocked: Restricted Wolvenheim Jaune.  
**_ _**Unleashed Wolvenheim Jaune.**_

_**See you all next time. **_


End file.
